My Wilted Heart
by Star and Glade
Summary: Chapter 21 uploaded! A girl who is afraid of love is taken to Neverland by Hook. There she meets Peter and witnesses the tragic events of Hook's ultimate revenge. R&R please!
1. The Wilting Rose

Star and glade here. This is a Peter Pan story, just wait. Review please! Disclaimer: Don't own peter pan. Nuff' said.  
  
  
  
My Wilted Heart- (working title)  
  
  
  
For the longest amount of time, I never thought that I could know love. It was such an awkward word that would get stuck in the back of my throat and could never seem to come out. It would just stay in the black void of my mind, and where liked it there. I can hardly remember when I had become so anti-love. I had a happy childhood, I suppose, if the ages of birth to three count as a childhood. I have only flashes of moments when I truly felt love. But, that didn't last very long. I was the second child of my parents. My elder brother, Scott, was six when I was born. All that I remember of him was the way her called me his baby sister, the little precious one that he swore to protect, but its hard to believe in the promise of a six-year-old boy. My parents were loving, and kind, but even as a baby I couldn't help but notice the look of disgust I received from my mother when she had to hold me and feed me, and there was emphasis on had. I remember someone telling me once of the argument that my mother had with a nurse in the hospital when my mother refused to feed me. My father, well, my father loved my mother with all his heart, or so I was told. He would kiss her as if it was his duty, but nothing more than that, but he loved her. When I was brought home, I never remember my mother taking care of me, it was always Scott. He was the one who went out and bought me formula, diapers and all other necessities that a baby needed to survive in her early stage of life. My father would take care of me after my brother fell asleep. I know that he sang me a song before he laid me down to sleep, but I don't recall it. I suppose this doesn't sound much like a loving family, but the love from my big brother was enough for me to forget the way my mother ignored me. But my life isn't a fairy tale. In the real world, an ounce of happiness comes with a hundred pounds of pain. It might be already obvious what form my pain has come in, but no matter how obvious, it does not reduce the amount of hurt it brings. In a heat of despair one day, my mother finally snapped, she drowned my brother during his bath and tried to smother me with a pillow while I napped. If my father had come up the stair of the apartment a moment later, I would have been dead. My mother left me in an unconscious state and left me to later learn of how my mother pushed my father off the roof of our building after he chased her up there, then followed him soon after, and to later learn that my brother was gone. This must have been the day that I became cold and anti-love. For I believed that if I loved my brother so much and he loved me, he would not have gone away. I was three when I lost my family, my ability to love, and above all, hope. I was three.  
  
  
  
It was raining. Somehow, it always seemed to rain during moments like these. When the skies seem to cry along with you, it is the moment of great melancholy that has even the bystander weeping their silent tears. It is quite unsure why it happens, but these are the moments in which we dread, in which one never wishes to take part. The ones in which the light seems to be forever gone and forever retreating from your darken heart. As is this life of the broken soul in which we meet. She, unlike many her age, does not know the warmth of love, the pleasures of a smile. She only knows the darkness of the world, the hatred one feels to have all that you had taken away from you. It is her life, the rain. The world is always weeping, for she does not. Her pain is beyond tears, beyond all emotions that one could express. All seems forever lost to her. She could never have a friend. She can never smile. She can never feel the warmth of another's body pressed against in a warm embrace. Love is beyond her, love for her, does not exist. But maybe one day, the light will shine. The walls around her darken heart will shatter and she will know love. Maybe one day the love in which she could not know could be felt with one who knew nothing but happiness. Light and dark collide in the creation of our story. And might we pray for the blooming rose in the darken heart to bloom and not be wilted.  
  
  
  
Thanks for reading! More reviews the faster the update. 


	2. The Rare Gem

My Wilted Heart- Chapter 2

Yes, it was raining. Again.

She walked through the hallway of her school, her shoes leaving a trail of rainwater and mud behind her. She carried no umbrella and her clothes stuck to her like a second skin and her hair was plastered to her head. She would have been a pleasing sight to look at for any testosterone within eyesight, had she not of been who she was. 

Leah Kerringway. Social outcast.

Leah was not ugly, heavens no, had she not been so hostile towards human contact, all the boys in her school would be cowering at her feet begging her to "disrespect" them. She was quite pretty as a matter a fact. Her hair was long chocolate brown that she usually kept up in a ponytail, and her eyes were deep green with flecks of gold. Eyes that windowed the coldest of her heart. 

She didn't have any friends nor did she want any. She wrote once, for she doesn't wish to speak, that friends were just the means of human contact that was meant to and in some futile dispute, end. She was alone in the world, and frankly, quite enjoyed it that way.

She sat in her class's quite and placid taking notes on their subjects. Then when the final bell rang, she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed home. There was no rain, but the sky still held its dark ominous presence. 

But the sun did shine if you knew where to go. The second star to the right and straight on till' morning. There, you will find sun and happiness and it all seemed to emanate from one person.

**~**~**

Peter enjoyed flying. It was the greatest sensation he ever felt. The wind in your hair, the ground hundreds of feet below you and all worries gone. Besides, what worries did he have?

"None!" He exclaimed as he soared through clouds at the beginning of another day. He dived heading towards the water to discuss his most recent quarrel with Hook to his mermaid friends. As he skimmed a foot above the water, he stared down at his reflection and abruptly halted and stared more. Well, maybe he did have one problem. 

After meeting Jane and seeing Wendy again, Peter was prone to visit them more. A lot more. It had been about fifteen years or so since he met Jane and he enjoyed watching her get married and have a daughter of her own, and in doing that, he became oblivious to what spending so much time away from Neverland would do to him. Well he knew now.

Staring down into the water, Peter didn't look like the innocent twelve-year-old Jane met anymore; he looked like the equivalent of a seventeen-year-old. He sighed and returned on his journey to the mermaid's cove. How little he knew what this new aging would do to him in mind and body.

**~~**~~**

Leah sat at the chair in front of her keyboard, with blank sheet music and a pencil in her lap. She slowly stretched her fingers and then rested them on the keys in a soft chord. She let her nimble fingers dance upon the keys before she paused and wrote the beginnings of the song she composed. After an hour, she placed her complete song in front of her and once again began to play, but this time exercising her voice with the soft lyrics of the song. She let her room fill with the mingling sounds unbeknownst to the spying ears listening in on her outside of her window. 

**~~**~~**

"Such beauty and talent gifted upon one person is quite rare, don't you think so Smee?" Captain James Hook questioned to his right-hand man as they stood on the bow of their ship ported unknowingly next to Leah's window.

"Yes Cap'n. She is quite the rare gem." Smee answered.

"Perfect for the entertainment of our crew." Hook motioned to other pirates that were near, and the quickly scaled the side of the ship and in through the window. A few crashes we heard before a pirate emerged carrying an unconscious Leah. He handed her to Hook who carried her to his quarters and laid her down upon the satin sheets of his bed. "Sleep now pretty one, for in the morning your duties will begin." He exited, closing the door behind him. "Haul anchor! We will port in Neverland by first light!" 

**~~**~~**

Well, here's the second chapter. Sorry it took so long! See! Told you it was a Peter Pan story!


	3. We Meet

My Wilted Heart

Chapter 3 – We Meet

By first light of the next day, the _Jolly Rodger_ skimmed the waters of Neverland and ported in its usual bay.

"Drop the anchor!" The captain yelled from atop his perch on the captain's deck. The anchor thudded on the soft sand underneath the hull, creating a small tremor through the ship. "Is she still unconscious, Smee?"

"Yes Cap'n." The plump, balding man piped from behind Hook's shoulder. Hook nodded and turned to the door, but to his surprise, there stood Leah frantically looking around her. When her eyes landed on Hook and Smee, she stared, dumbfounded at what it was she saw.

"Ah, the pretty one is awake!" Hook said stepping foreword towards Leah who stepped back in fear. "Do not be skittish young Lady. I Captain James Hook shall not harm you." He bowed deep with sincere courtesy. Leah stood staring up at him as Hook crossed the rest of the space between them, taking her hand and pressing a kiss upon it. Hook stared at her as she just stood there looking out past him at the rest of the ship and crew, and the landscape of Neverland behind it. Where was she?

"Do you speak Lady?" Smee asked, standing behind Hook's right shoulder. Leah shifted uncomfortably as they gazed at her. She became more uncomfortable when the rest of the crew took perch all around the Captains deck, talking in grunts and openly pointing at her as if she were a painting in an art gallery.

"Do not frighten the young lass men." Hook remarked, hugging the girl around her shoulders. "Now dear one, please join me in some breakfast." He turned her around and guided her back through the open door, leaving the rest of the crew behind.

"She's a pretty one ain't she?" A man with an eye patch said from atop a barrel. The rest of the crew nodded in agreement. "Does the Captain plan on using the same method as before Smee?" Everyone turned to the small man as he began to walk through the door.

"Oh no. The Cap'n has a better plan this time. One more enjoyable to watch then any of the others before it." Smee grinned and closed the door behind him.

On the other side of Neverland…

It was a glorious morning where the birds sang brightly, the sun shined, the leaves were wet with dew and the harmonious sounds of young boys could be heard throughout Hangman's Tree.

"And you said they were noisy when they were awake." Peter said, smirking at the small fairy sitting on his shoulder with her dainty fingers stuffed in her ears. She replied with annoyance. Peter left the tree and the boys sleeping to enjoy his morning, Tink following him not far behind.

He flew over Neverland in ethereal happiness; arms spread wide occasionally touching the trees and water that flew by below him.

"Ah, this is the life Tink." He cracked open one of his eyes when Tink didn't answer, only to find that she wasn't following him. "Tink? Where'd you go Tink?" Peter skimmed the land around him then shrugged and flew on. She would do this occasionally, nothing different this time. As Peter neared the bay, he caught sight of a familiar black flag whipping in the wind above the trees. He smirked and descended to hover just above the water next to the ship, preparing to spring and surprise the ship's crew and it's Captain. But before he could he heard something peculiar coming from the open window at the bow of the ship. Gliding over the water, he positioned himself under the window for better eavesdropping.

From inside the compartment above him, Peter heard a haunting melody which sound filtered through the window and caressed his ears. The music had him yearning to hear more, to peer through the window to discover the sweet entity in which the sound emanated from. But just before he was about to blow his position under the window, the song ended, snapping Peter sharply back to reality. He flattened against the ship, ears straining to hear what was going on above him.

"Beautiful. Simply marvelous my dear." Hook praised, clapping his hands. Leah stood before him, her hands tightly clasped in front of her. Hook had asked her to sing for him, and hesitantly she did out of fear of what he might do to her if she didn't. Hook rose from his plush burgundy chair, handing Smee, who stood a short ways away from him, his glass of brandy. "Where did you learn to sing so beautifully?" Leah gazed at him in sharp perspective; he knew she would not speak. "My dear," Hook said smoothly, placing his hands upon her shoulder. "If we are to have some sort of friendship, then you must speak to me. Alright?" Leah nodded her head, and then looking up at the captain, she averted her eyes to the window.

"A...Alright." Her voice was quiet but unmistakably heard. Hook smiled broadly.

"Very good. Now, I've left you a change of clothes on the bureau, we will leave you alone to change." Hook patted her on the shoulder again, then left the room, Smee following shortly after, closing the door with a click.

Leah heaved a sigh of great relief and walked over to the bureau where on top rested a lovely cream dress. Removing the clothes she already had on, then slipped the dress over her head. She admired the way the dress hugged her in all the right places in the mirror on the other side of the room. The dress hung down just above the ground, with a form fitting midsection and a peasant style top, the whole of the dress was covered in a sheer cream fabric with a solid underneath. Leah slipped her feet into the shoes that were also placed for her and skillfully plaited her hair.

Woefully she walked to the open window and rested her hands upon the sill. She stared out at the sea and absentmindedly brushed the dust that coated the wood out to the air beyond.

Below the window Peter had covered his nose with his hand in an attempt to stifle a sneeze that was brought upon by the raining dust. _Don't sneeze. Don't Sneeze. Don't –_ Then to Peter's horror, he sneezed. _Ah, crud._ From above him, he literally heard the girl jump, and then within a few seconds her eyes were peering down at him. Shrugging off his blown cover, Peter flew to face the girl at eye level.

"Um, hello."

Leah stood openly staring at the handsomest boy she had ever seen. His auburn hair was tousled and fell charmingly in front of his green eyes, which were at the moment, pinned to hers. She also noticed that he wore a cut green tunic, which fell just at his slim hips, and beige pants tucked into his brown boots, which concealed his dagger. His skin was slightly tanned, with a hint of freckles peppering his cheeks, which were hard to see through the deep blush he bore. And from the way his clothes clung to him, she could tell he was well muscled, but leanly toned.

"Yeah well," Peter started, his hand nervously reaching around to rub his neck."I uh, heard your singing and uh," He stared at her and when she stared openly back, he felt his face burn, she was quite pretty, he had to admit that at least.

Leah quickly realized that she was making the boy uncomfortable under her gaze and averted her eyes sheepishly.

"Th-Thank you." She said quietly, glancing up at the boy who seemed to snap out of his embarrassed mode and smiled broadly; she felt her face grow warm. She watched as he settled himself on the windowsill, leaning against the frame and propping his one foot up, letting the other hang outside the window.

"So, where are you from? When did you get here? What's your name?" Leah was slightly amused at his change in attitude, but she rapidly became uneasy at his onslaught of questions. She started to sink into herself becoming less aware of what he was saying until he shot out his hand in front of her face.

"I'm Pe-"

"Peter Pan! What a pleasant surprise." Peter was cut off in his introduction when Hook reappeared inside the room. In a defensive maneuver, Peter quickly shot off the window to take position outside the window, placing his fists on his hips. Hook cleared the space between the door and Leah within a matter of seconds, and wrapped his arm around the girl's shoulder protectively as soon as she was within arms reach.

"I see you've met my new companion Peter. And I do hope that she was being very civil towards you." Hook spoke to Peter with such underlying contempt that Leah was almost certain that if she weren't in the room, the two males would have lunged at each other, fighting for the others throat.

"Quite so Captain Codfish," Peter snarled back with a mischievous grin. "She was very nice towards me." He smiled sincerely towards Leah, who turned away. Hook watched this through slit eyes, unconsciously tightening his grip on Leah's shoulder.

"I don't have time for your silly games right now Pan. Miss Leah and I have business to attend to so, shoo you pesky little fly, go find someone else to buzz around." Hook quickly stepped forward and shut the windows tightly and locking them. Then he took Leah by the shoulders again and steered her out the door, where she glanced behind her once to see Peter turn and fly away.

Hook inwardly grinned. _Perfect. All is going according to plan. _

_---_

Phew! So sorry that it took so long to write this chapter. We've been so busy with school and other activities that we were unable to work very much. But since Thanksgiving break is next week, we will try very hard to have the next chapter out by the first week of December. Thank you for all your reviews! They are very encouraging!

-Star and Glade

11-20-03

Re-uploaded for the sake of annoying word usage ;)

11-14-04


	4. Developments

Okay! Getting to some plot points in the chapter… and some foreshadowing! Look out for it!

Chapter 4:  Developments

**~~**~~**

Peter fumed as he flew around Neverland, smacking leaves off from the tops of trees and cursing any wind that blew him off course. _Pesky fly he calls me! I'll show him just what a pesky fly I can be. _Peter continued on course to Hangman's Tree, where around the base he saw the Lost Boys playing a game of Pirates and Indians. When they saw Peter approaching them, they abruptly stopped and gathered around him, each one talking in a hurried voice. Already agitated, Peter was quick to silence them. 

"If you want to tell me something, then one person say it!" The Lost Boys quickly shut their mouths, staring up at their usually cheerful leader.  "Now," Peter said more calmly. "What is it that you want to tell me?" Hesitantly, Slightly stepped forward.

"We all saw Hook's ship dock last night, and you left before anyone could tell you." He said cautiously, picking at the hairs on his fox's tail. 

"Yeah, yeah I know that all ready. Is that all you have to tell me?" Peter was irritable and they all could tell. The Lost Boys hesitantly shook their heads in unison, and then ran to the other side of the tree to finish their game. Peter flew and sat on one of the branches of the tree overlooking the boy's game. Somehow, watching young boys pretending to battle each other was soothing. _Oh, that's a nice thought._ Peter inwardly yelled at himself. But as he continuously watched the boys play, his mind began to drift. Before him now, he saw a pair of green eyes staring at him in an inviting nature, and he now no longer heard the yells and battle cries below him, but instead he heard a haunting melody of a song. Hastily he shook his head, ridding himself of the thoughts he was drifting upon. Again he shook his head, then he jumped from the tree limb and joined in the game.

**~~**~~**

Aboard the _Jolly Rodger_, Leah was put to work. She scrubbed, scrapped, mopped, swept, cooked, and did any other job that Hook thought would make her stay "productive". At the end of the day, Hook would have her sing to the whole crew before they all retired for the night. Leah wasn't unhappy, but she wasn't happy either. She was glad she was away from the place that she was forced to call home, but the ship stank of deception, as did its Captain. After a week on the ship, Leah started to become more and more curious of the motives Hook had on bringing her to Neverland. One night, as she walked around the ship with him, she voiced her curiousness to him, but all he answered was a single word.

"Atmosphere."  He grinned at her, raised her hand to his lips, bid her good night and left her standing at the bow of the ship. _Ridiculous._ She thought to herself. She rested her elbows on the railing and placed her chin in her palm. Behind her, there was the distinct sound of the watchman snoring at his post. Leah stared out at the open sea, watching the rippling reflection of the moon on the water. She sighed and closed her eyes, after dark the ship became boring. Either the men were asleep or getting drunk below deck. They were so predictable. She was about to leave to her quarters when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. On a hunch, she leaned over the wooden rail and looked out across the side of the ship. But she saw nothing. Shrugging, she began to turn when from below the railing Peter shot up before her. Startled, Leah stumbled back onto the deck where she landed on the palm of her hands, receiving many a scrap and splinter on the old wood. She let out a small whimper as she pushed herself off the floorboards. She examined her hands in distaste and inwardly groaned for she knew what she would have to do to mend them. Intently staring at her hands, she had forgotten about Peter and was taken aback when one of his hands cupped hers; she stared up at him as he looked over her scarred palms.

"Well, sorry about that, but now worries. This is easily taken care of." Peter pulled Leah by the railing where he sat on top of it. He took one of her hands firmly in his, and with his other hand, removed the small blade from his boot. He flipped the blade over to the blunt side and brought it in over Leah's palm at an angle and began gently scrapping out the splinters. Peter felt her flinch slightly when the blade ran over the cuts on her hand, but other than that her facial features remained impassive. He finished both of her palms quickly and in silence. When he was done, he replaced his blade and allowed Leah her hands back.  "See, that wasn't so bad." Peter hopped off the railing only to then realize that he himself had gained a few splinters as well. 

"Thank you." Leah said, carefully cradling her hands to her chest. She stared up at him and Peter grinned widely. He opened his mouth to saw something when from behind Leah a drunken pirate fell out of the doorway of the side cabin, his grimy form illuminated by the light from inside. 

"Filthy bastard," He slurred, raising his arm in a rude gesture towards the man who appeared in the doorway. The pirate stood, teetering from side to side and jabbed his finger into the person's chest. "You don't deserve to be Cap'n, your plans never work, you filthy," The man wobbled to the side and spit on the Captain's boot. "You filthy," Standing in the doorway, Hook grew impatient with the pirate and kicked him in the stomach, who stumbled over the railing and fell into the water below with a loud splash. Hook spat after the man and returned inside, cackling madly. Leah stood staring dumbstruck at the railing where the pirate had flipped to drown in a drunken haze. She suddenly snapped back to reality and turned sharply to face Peter, only then to realize he was gone. She sighed and made her way into the ship. 

Above the water next to the ship, Peter struggled to hold the drunken pirate above the water line, while at the same time keeping him conscious. The pirate's glazed eyes searched over Peter with an unrecognizing look and began to nod off again. Peter shook him and the man groaned.

"What do you want?" He asked groggily, his sour breath puffing across Peter's nose, who contorted his face into a look of disgust. 

"What does the dear old Captain have in store for me, you ugly pirate?" Peter asked. The pirate looked at him with hazy eyes.

"Who are you?" Peter sighed and shook his head.

"What does the Captain have in store for Peter Pan?" At the mention of Peter's name, the pirate let out a foul laugh and gripped Peter's wrists and pulled himself closer to Peter's face and grinned and holy, yellow toothed grin. 

"The Cap'n has a twisted mind lad. Once the Cap'n through with Pan the next time, there won't be nothin' left of 'im." The pirate laughed again, then his hand slackened and he slumped back into the water.

"Hey," Peter shook him harder but the pirate's head just rolled on his chest in limp unconsciousness. Peter scoffed and dropped the man in the water, then took off into the air, heading for hangman's tree. 

When Peter reached his destination, he walked inside through on of the bottom entrances and almost tripped over one of the Twins. Squinting in the dark, he saw that all the lost boys were lying in odd places as if they were waiting for him to return. He shrugged it off and carefully stepped over all of them and walked into his room. In the doorway he stopped and stared. His room was in horrible disarray. Everything was flipped over onto their side, the feathers from his bed were strewn all around the room, and when he lit one of the lanterns, he noticed scuff marks on the floor. His anger growing, Peter turned back to the Lost Boys. 

"What happened in here?" He bellowed. The Lost Boys awakened suddenly, Cubby fell from his perch on the branch above the doorway and landing on Nibs, who elbowed him in the stomach. Soon all the boys were awake and bickering with each other. Peter's patience had ended and his anger grew. "QUIET!" 

The boys stopped in mid track and sentence and all turned towards Peter. 

"What happened to my room?" His asked again, his voice more calm but still agitated. 

"We don't know," Slightly said hesitantly. "It was like that when we got back. But Peter, Tink's gone! We can't find her anywhere!" 

"What?" Peter's mood shifted from agitation to worrisome in a fraction of a second. "What to you mean she's gone?"

"We haven't seen in her in a week!" Cubby said.

"We even went to see the other fairies," One of the twins started.

"And they said they don't know where she is either." The other finished. Peter pursed his lips in tight concentration, staring at all the faces of the Lost Boys standing before him. Suddenly it dawned on him.

"Hook." He bit out the single word through gritted teeth. "This was his plan." The Lost Boys stared curiously at their leader. "C'mon boys! We're going to the _Jolly Rodger_!" The boys all nodded and grabbed their weapons and arrows, then marched out the door and through the terrain of Neverland.

The small army of Lost Boys led by Peter, reached the _Jolly Rodger_, right at dawn. Peter flew over the deck, angrily staring at the pirates on deck.

"Hook!" Peter yelled, waking some of the pirated on deck. "Hook! You old codfish! Get out here!" He continued to yell until an aging fat pirate walked out from the main cabin. 

"Ah, it is you Peter Pan," Mr. Smee said greetingly. "I shall fetch the Cap'n for you." Smee turned on his heal and walked back into the cabin. In the small corridor, he met up with Hook who seemed to be in a rather chipper mood. "He's here Cap'n."

"Ah yes. I heard his squawking all the way from the dungeon deck." Hook secured his hook and handed Smee a large bag, who took it with a nod. "Plan B Mr. Smee, don't miss."

"Right Cap'n." The plump man nodded.

"Is everything ready Mr. Smee? Are all the men in place?"

"Yes Cap'n"

"Good." They made their way down the corridor and emerged into the open air, where they spotted Peter planted a few feet away, dagger gripped tightly in his hand, ready to pounce. When Peter spotted them he snarled. "What a pleasant surprise Pan. What may I do for you?" Hook asked innocently.

"Don't play games Hook." Peter spat. "Where is she?"

"Where is who?" Hook asked, cocking his head to the side. "Do you know who he's talking about Smee?" Smee shrugged and turned to walk up the stair to the main deck. Peter paid no heed to him.

"You know who I'm talking about you old codfish!" Peter's patience was growing thin. Hook took a few steps forward towards the boy. 

"I'm sorry, but I don't. Might you want to clarify it a bit?" Hook was teasing him. But in his angered state, all Peter's sensibility drained from him and he lunged at Hook, grabbing his collar with one hand and positioning his dagger at Hook's neck. Hook made no attempt to move or draw his sword, which angered Peter more. "Are you going to kill me Pan?" 

"Where is Tinkerbell?" Peter snarled, pushing the dagger deeper into Hook's neck.

"Pardon? Have you lost her? Oh, how dreadful." Hook said in mock caring. "Now please, lower that knife and talk this rationally." Hook brought his hook over Peter's dagger and slowly lowered it from his neck, but Peter resisted.

"I know you have her! Give her back." Hook pushed harder on the dagger and Peter slowly relented, but kept the dagger poised to strike.

"Now you see, that's quite impossible." Peter glared at him.

"Why?"

"Because she's not, _with_ us." For a moment Hook's voice turned cold and for that moment all Peter heard was the rustling of the sails above them. Peter stared at Hook, who grinned wickedly back. Before Peter could form coherent words, behind him a pirate shouted to Hook.

"Look wha' I found on shore Cap'n!" Peter turned to see the youngest of the Lost Boys, Tootles, struggling in the arms of his captor. Then in the moment Peter had his back turned, it happened in a blink of an eye. He watched as Tootle's eyes widened and he turned just in time to dodge Hook's swing at him. But before he could react again, he felt something hit him in the neck. Reaching down, Peter pulled out a small dart lodged in the crook of his neck. As he stared at it, his vision became fuzzy and he grew increasingly dizzy, dropping the dart and the dagger in his hand, Peter stumbled back hitting the mast and sliding down it into the floor. With blurred vision, he sat Hook pick up the dart and squat before him, grabbing his sweat-slicked hair, pulling it back roughly.

"Clever little invention these Indians have, huh Pan?" Hook cackled madly as he let go of Peter's hair. With the support gone Peter slide all the way to the ground Hook's laugh of triumph echoing in his ears before the world went dark.

**~~**~~**

Phew! A long chapter! Well the plot is starting to take shape, but we haven't even hit the thick of it yet. We thank everyone fore reviewing and being so patient with us. Hopefully we will have the next chapter out soon because it is the first chapter we wrote and based the story on! Weeeeee! Next chapter we will begin to see how twisted Hook really is and maybe the romance part of the story will start to grow…Hmmm..

-Star and Glade

1-11-03     


	5. Torturous Revenge

Well…um….we personally find this chapter intense, so that's why it's pretty short. Um…yeah.

My Wilted Heart: Chapter 5

**~~**~~**

"Ah, what a fine day. Isn't it Mr. Smee?" Hook breathed in deeply the early morning air, looking out over all of Neverland with a smug smile of victory. "The day I finally seek my revenged on that blasted Pan. After all these years, I have finally captured him." The captain turned to Smee and Leah who were standing next to him. "Shall we then?" Hook pivoted on his heel and preceded to walk light footed into the bowels of the ship with Smee and Leah trailing him a few paces behind. 

He stopped at a door where two guards were perched. At his command they moved to unlock the door then shifted to the side to allow him to enter. Inside, torches flickered ominously against the wooden walls of the ship, dimly lighting the small room. The door was left open for the crew to witness the events that were to take place shortly. Standing in the doorway, Leah watched Hook stare malevolently at the unconscious figure in the middle of the room. Kneeling on the splintered wood, deprived of his shirt and shoes, hands bound and chained to the ceiling above him, was Peter. 

Leah stared at Hook in shock at how he was treating Peter. But nothing prepared her for the events that were about to take part. 

Hook stood before the nearly hanging Peter and kicked him roughly in the stomach.

"Wake up boy." He growled. Peter groaned, cracking open his eyes slightly, he cringed at the light that poured through the open door, assaulting him with its harshness. His headed pounded against his temples and his arms strained over his head. Realizing the extent of his predicament, he stared up at the captain. 

"What do you want?" Peter's voice was hoarse and raspy, and his throat was dry as the sand on the beach. Hook crouched to Peter's eye level and took Peter's chin savagely between his thumb and forefinger. 

"Revenge boy. Revenge. For all the trouble you've caused me." Hook released his chin, and then before he stood, spat in Peter's face. Peter stared up at him in defiance as Hook's saliva rolled down his cheek.

"Tying me up isn't going to stop me. You know I'll get out of this and things will go back to the way they used to be." He jutted his chin foreword in challenge and smirked. "And I will always win."

"Still very cocky I see." Hook walked over to Smee who handed him an animal hide pouch. "But you won't win this time." He removed the pouch and turned slowly back to Peter as he unfurled a tightly bound leather whip. "Ah, another precious item those Indian friends of yours have made for me." He cracked the whip against the ground and took pleasure as Peter flinched. He rounded Peter so that Peter's back was to him. "This time, I win."   Hook raised the whip high above his head and brought it down upon Peter's back with all the force and anger that was pent up within him. The leather made a loud smacking noise that vibrated around room and left behind a flaming red welt that threatened to burst upon the skin that it came in contact with.

Leah's breath shook as she watched Peter's face cringe with pain. She stood aghast at the doorway, unbelieving of what she was seeing. Hook continually lashed out at Peter, each time gathering more force, and smiled ruefully as the boy's back became smeared with blood. But Hook's lust for revenged had not yet been satisfied. He once again rounded Peter and kneeled before him. 

Peter's head was hung and his teeth were tightly clenched.  His face was contorted in suppressed pain and his breathing was heavy and labored. Leah could see that he was breaking; the pain was more than he had ever experienced. He wouldn't last much longer. Hook forced Peter's head up with the butt of the whip, forcing the boy to look at him.

"Cry out boy. Cry out and I'll stop." This was Hook's plan. His demented and twisted plan of revenge. To completely destroy Peter, not physically but instead, in spirit. But still, Peter stared up at his tormentor, and defiantly gritted through his teeth.

"Never." Hook's frown deepened as he stood, once again towering over the boy. 

"Never? Never! Why you pompous little bastard!" He raised the whip and brought down upon Peter's chest again and again. Hook's anger grew each time he brought the whip down upon skin, and Peter didn't cry out. But then suddenly he stopped in mid-blow. Leah prayed that it was over, but she knew by the way Hook squared his shoulders, that there was more. He turned swiftly on his heel and walked to the corner of the room where he grabbed a bucket from the floor in one hand, while Peter's gaze, watched him the whole time. Handing the whip over to Smee, Hook balanced the bucket with one hand and drew from it with the other, letting the water trickle down his forearm as his steps halted before Peter. "Tell me Pan. Do you know what sea water does to an open wound?" 

Leah's hand shot to cover her mouth. He wouldn't dare. He couldn't! Peter's breath quickened as Hook let his dripping hand rest above his head. The water slowly trickled down his neck and grazed across his bloodied back. Peter cringed and sucked in air through clenched teeth. 

"So you do know." Hook smiled and stalked around Peter. Planting his feet, he raised the bucket right over Peter's back and with menacing slowness; he let a steady stream of seawater pour over the open wounds on Peter's back. And with that, Peter broke. His tortured cries echoed throughout the room and vibrated deep within Leah's chest. His screams shook her and she could only watch helplessly as tears began to stream down his face and his knuckled turned white where he gripped the chains above him. And throughout the whole time, Hook laughed. A deep, malicious laugh that rang, along with Peter's cries in Leah's ears. She didn't know when the sounds stopped for they seemed to continue to echo through her head even as Hook threw the bucket aside and stood before Peter again.

"Don't think I'll finish there boy." Peter's head rolled against his chest as he breathed in shaky breaths. Hook then kicked him roughly in the stomach and grinned satisfyingly as Peter began to cough blood. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Peter struggled, but managed to lift his head, vivid red blood trickling down the side if his mouth. "I will continue to torture you Pan, each time longer as the days go by until you beg me for mercy. But don't worry. I won't kill you. That would be just too easy. I will break you Peter Pan, then throw you pathetic heap," He shoved Peter's head with his foot, keeping him conscious. "Back to Neverland. Where you will be scorned and frowned upon by all of your _admirers_. No more stories will be told of you through open windows. No more children will wish to stay young for they will see you and know how bad it really is. You will no longer be Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. But instead, you will just be a pile of broken, weeping flesh crawling on the ground, begging me to kill you." 

Hook turned sharply and swiftly stalked out of the room leaving Peter hanging from the chains in the ceiling that gave him his only support. He was pale for his life's fluids were steadily streaming out of him in a mixture of blood and salt water and pooled beneath him. Leah stared at Peter's almost lifeless form as she heard from atop the stairs behind her, Hook barking orders for everyone to return to their duties. She looked desperately at Smee who just shook his head and began ushering her out the door. As the guards began to close the heavy wooden door, she thought she heard a hoarse whisper.

"Help me." Then it was gone.     

**~~**~~**

::Cough:: 

Well, hopefully the contents of this chapter will make up for the 2 months behind schedule we had hoped for. 

~Star and Glade

3-13-04


	6. Vicious Images Part I

Vicious Images – Part I

Captain James Hook was a petty and inhumane man. He was a vile person who lived only to serve others pain. Leah was appalled at Hook's idea of revenge towards Peter, and glared at his coat clad back as she and Smee walked a few paces behind him down the wooden corridor that led to his quarters. Above them the sky was dark and there was a threat of a storm in the near future.

Next to her, another storm seemed to gather in the mind of Smee. By the expression on his face Leah could tell that he was battling emotions of joy and unrest. Uncertain in how he as a human should be feeling about the events that took place two decks below them, and how he should feel as Hook's right hand man.

The Captain stopped and opened the door to his lodging, ushering Leah inside with a sharp gesture of his hand. Smee didn't join them, but instead closed the door behind her with a fleeting glance and continued on with the rest of his day. The Captain padded across the plush burgundy carpet to his mahogany desk and held the pouch that contained the whip up in front of him like a trophy and admired it with a smile upon his rough features. He seemed reluctant to place it on the desk, but he eventually relented, and busied himself with pouring a glass of brandy. He swirled the rich liquid before taking a drink, sighing contently as it coated the back of his throat. _It_ is_ a glorious day._ He lifted the glass to his lips and drained it, coolly setting in on his desk. Then he finally turned to Leah, seemingly unfazed by the disapproving looks he was receiving from her.

"My dear," He began, taking in the way she had planted her self by the door. Almost as if she too were about to be given the same treatment. "there is no reason to be upset. Things, are just done differently around here then where you're from." He smiled at her and she gagged. _How dare he._ She thought to herself. _How dare her try to justify his vicious treatment towards Peter in that manner!_ She couldn't believe her ears. "Now," He walked towards and as he did so she fought the terrible urge to turn and run, but his hand suddenly appeared on her shoulder, firmly planting her where she stood. "I don't want the boy dying. That would just ruin my whole plan and all my preparations 'poof' out the window." _How considerate of you._ "So I now hereby put you in charge of keeping him alive."

Leah tensed and stared up at him, flabbergasted by what he was telling her to do. Something was amiss behind his eyes, he wasn't doing this randomly, he wanted something to happen. But what?

Hook smiled crudely at her expression, then turned sharply on his heel and proceeded to pour himself another glass of brandy. "Mr. Smee with show you clean linens and my men will fetch you fresh water. Unless of course," He raised the crystal to his lips and turned to stare at her over the rim. "You don't trust them to bring you clean, fresh water." He emptied the glass. "Then you can retrieve it yourself." She couldn't believe it; Hook was actually asking her to distrust his men! Leah felt glued to floor, and every second that she was under his gaze, she grew more and more apprehensive at the extent to his whole plan.

"I will get it myself; if that is what you wish." Her hands tightly clasped in front of her, Leah raised her chin in preparation for Hook's response. But instead of the anger that she expected, Hook seemed pleased and once again smiled, but behind it there was something more that she couldn't put her finger on, but she felt as if she had just walked into a trap.

"Splendid." He crossed the room and handed her a thin chain with a medium sized silver key dangling at the end. She hesitantly took it and clasped it around her neck. "His restraints." Hook finally grunted, and she nodded in understanding. "My men will have boat ready for you in an hour to take you to shore so you can retrieve your fresh water." She nodded again as he opened the door, then curtsied and quickly and her feet could take her without running, she left with great relief.

Hook firmly closed the door behind her and listened to her retreating footsteps for a few moments, then walked across the room back to his desk. From one of its drawers her drew out a gilded dagger and lovingly caressed its cold metal. If only she knew what its purpose was, the distaste for him in her lovely green eyes would grow more so. At that thought, he couldn't help but grin.

----------

Leah's arms were burning as she carried two full buckets of water form the stream in the middle of the forest. At the sight of a flat rock, she felt relieved to be able to rest her arms. As she stood at an edge of a small clearing, she rubbed her sore arms and thought about something that was nagging at the back of her mind. Why had three pirates joined her on the boat ride over? It made no since, especially since they didn't follow her to the stream. Once again she felt that there was something amiss. She was about to shake the feeling off and continue on her journey back to the small boat harbored on the beach, when something across the clearing caught her eye. Quickly hiding behind a tree she watched from behind it as the three pirates that accompanied her grunted and argued at each other. When she peered closer she realized that two of them were holding something between them, she quickly figured out what it was and felt her heart begin to race. She strained her ears to hear the conversation and willed herself to breath softer.

"Hurry up with it! The girl'll be back any minute." One of the pirates holding the object complained, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Jus' hold 'im still." The other pirate said as he pulled from his pocket the same dagger that Hook had been admiring in his quarters. The pirate walked foreword and brought the dagger down slowly, positioning it's sharpen side perfect before he…

Leah turned her head away quickly and covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to suppress the nausea that had just overcome her. Her knees weakened and she stumbled back to her buckets. _Oh, my god. Oh my…_She couldn't believe what she just saw, she didn't want to believe. She swiftly grabbed the buckets from the rock and made her way out of the forest. She prayed that the image in her mind would disappear; she didn't want to see it. Why? Why? She kept asking herself over and over again as the bile still rose in her throat. When she reached the boat the pirates weren't there yet. But it was only a few minutes before they emerged from a thicket of trees, one of them fusing with something inside a small bag that was slung at his hip, when they saw her, he abruptly stopped. They didn't say anything but instead hopped into the boat and helped her and her buckets back to the ship. The whole ride she wouldn't look at them, for if she did she knew what she would see.

Murderers.

She felt nauseous again and closed her eyes, only to have the scene play again on the back of her eyelids.

The savage murder of Peter's little lost boy, Tootles.

Ahhhhh!!!! It has been over 5 months since we last updated! We are so so so so so sorry! We bow our heads in shame. But we do promise that the next chapter will be up within the next day or two because it is already written. Yeah, yeah. We could've put it all in one chapter but we decided to break chapter six up a bit to add to the dramatic atmosphere. Again we are very very sorry for the long delay! Forgive us!!!

Star and Glade

8-13-04

P.S. Ahhhh!!! It's Friday the 13th!!!


	7. Vicious Images Part II

Vicious Images – Part II

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Tootles was murdered.

That was the only that Leah could think about as she climbed aboard the _Jolly Roger_ again later that day. Looking up beyond the masses and sails, she could see that the sky above was steadily growing darker and light drizzle began to fall. The eye of the storm was fast approaching. As she stared around her at the pirates working on rigging, swabbing the deck and other odd jobs, she couldn't help but feel restless. All of them were untrustworthy. They knew what was to become of Peter, what their Captain was to do to him, and none of them had an ounce of conscience to stop him. Their thirst for the final destruction of Peter Pan repulsed her.

The rain began to fall harder upon the deck, forcing her to hasten her pace down the steps into the bowels of the ship in order to stay dry. With her, a lone pirate, easily a head taller and twice her size, carried yards of linen with him, grunting about how there could be better things he could do with his time, as she balanced her two buckets. Upon her entrance in the hallway of the dungeon deck, the two guards shook themselves out of their stupor and unlocked the two locks on the door. Each guard with his own key. They opened the door and let Leah and the pirate enter. He didn't stay long, but hastily and unceremoniously threw the linens on the ground and shut the door behind him squawking to the guards about a new whiskey a ship mate had invented.

She was relieved to be alone and placed the buckets by a far wall, then she took a deep breath before she turned and solemnly gazed through the darkness at the figure in the center of the room. Her heart wrenched and pounded heavier against her ribcage at the sight before her.

Peter hung limply against his chains in an unconscious unrest, his eyelids madly fluttering in a tormented dream. Leah slowly circled him as she lit the torches around the small room, finally able to see the full extent of Hook's wraith upon him. The flames licked across the fiery skin of Peter's chest and back, highlighting the grooves of broken skin and dried blood. She willed herself to breath and focus on the task at hand.

Grabbing half the linens that were brought, Leah busied herself with forming a small cushion on the splintered wood next to Peter. Then she stood and removed from around her neck the chain that held the key Hook had given her. She studied the silver in the palm of her hand, running a finger down its length. Quickly she shook herself out of her muse and unlocked the chains around Peter's wrist. By doing so, all support was lost from him and he collapsed foreword onto her, his head lolling against her shoulder. Warm puffs of his shallow breaths prickling against the skin of her neck. Slowly she kneeled and cradled him to her, caring for him as a mother would a child. Leah tentatively ran a hand up back, lightly caressing the raised wounds she passed. When she reached the nape of his neck she paused, letting her fingertips only barely brush against his hair, still damp from earlier. She clutched him tighter to her, careful not to hurt him any further, in a futile and desperate attempt to steal away some of his pain. _I'm so sorry._

Almost unwillingly, Leah released Peter and gently laid him on the linens she had placed on the floor. Then, taking another piece of linen, she ripped it into strips until she had a fairly large pile of them. Next, she brought one of the buckets of water next to her and dipped a strip into it, rung it out and began the meticulous process of cleansing his wounds.

Slowly and carefully, she washed away the dry blood and remnants of sea water from his skin, until all there was were the flaming gashes on his chest. Discarding the soiled rag, she reached to her side for a small jar, given to her by Smee earlier that day, which contained a specially concocted salve that healed wounds quickly, but in turn stung like the dickens. Somehow, though considering the crowd that Smee was associated with, Leah found herself trusting the man. By the subtle ways he cringed at and second guessed, some of the Captain's actions, she knew that he was a kind hearted man who had just made wrong decisions in his life.

When she opened the jar a pungent smell rose from it, making her eyes water slightly. Blinking rapidly, she composed herself and with two fingers, scooped enough of the thick goop to cover her fingers. Then as gently as she could, she began to apply it to Peter's wounds, starting at the fiercest one that curled over his collar bone. As she cautiously smoothed the salve over the laceration, she felt the skin beneath her fingertips spasm in senseless spasms of pain. Leah's heart contracted painfully in her chest when she looked into his face. His eyebrows were furrowed and sweat began to bead on his temples and upper lip. Through parted lips his breathing became labored and short. Even in his dreams, Peter was unable to escape what happened to him during his waking hours. But when he awoke again, he would have to face even more horrendous pain, this time emotionally.

Leah paused applying the ointment, and with her free hand, dampened a clean linen strip. She lightly brushed the cloth over his face, wiping away the sweat from his forehead and dried tear tracks on his cheeks. She was about to wipe the dried blood from the corner of his mouth when a hand tightly clamped down on her wrist, halting her motion. Hesitantly she raised her eyes to meet the depths of Peter's green ones, glazed with pain.

"What are you doing here?" He rasped, tightening his grip on her wrist.

"I'm cleaning your wounds." She responded gently.

"Why? I thought you were with Hook. Who seems to enjoy," His voice suddenly hitched, pausing his speech. "Enjoy, causing me pain."

"I'm not with Hook." She returned. "I'm just, here." Peter stared at her for what seemed to be ages, before he slackened his grip on her wrists, finally allowing her to continue to heal him.

She waited a few moments, trying to establish more trust between them by maintaining eye contact, but the gaze he had sent upon her pushed her to look away. Once again she dipped her fingers back into the jar and gently began to apply the balm to a severe looking gash emblazoned across his chest.

"So why are you here?" He asked after a couple minutes of awkward silence. Leah didn't answer him but instead just shrugged her shoulders, focusing intently on the work at hand. _This was a lot easier when he was unconscious. _"Okay then." Peter hissed suddenly as her fingers brushed over a deep wound.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Yeah, you should be." He threw back at her with a harshness the Leah had only heard with Hook. The tone of his voice halted her actions and she looked up at him with a hurt expression. Upon seeing her reaction, he softened a little, he hadn't meant it to come out that way and hurt her. "What I meant was," He began, trying to prevent anything from happening that he might regret later on. "You didn't do anything to stop Hook. The bystander who just watches is just as guilty as the person causing the pain." Peter stopped when he realized that he was repeating the exact same speech Wendy had given him a few years back. Inwardly he laughed at himself. _Wendy_. It had happened when he had sat back and watched one of Wendy's older grandchildren pick on a younger one. She became so mad at him and he didn't understand why.

_"The bystander is just as guilty as the person causing the pain Peter." Wendy scolded._

_"How so? I didn't do anything!"_

_"Exactly, you didn't do anything. You could have easily prevented this but instead you just sat back and watched." Wendy walked away shaking her head. Leaving Peter to wander aimlessly around Neverland for the next few days thinking about she had said._

Peter quickly shook himself back to the present and stared up at the girl sitting next to him, her hands fisted around the cloth of her skirt and eyes downcast.

Leah didn't know how to answer what he had just pushed on her. She knew he was right and that she was guilty of such a crime. She continued to stare at her hands in silence, knowing that he expected her to retort and defend herself. The moments of silence between the hung heavily in the air, but Peter was giving up the struggle between them as his eyelids began to droop shut, casting him into another fitful sleep. Leah sighed in relief, glad to be out from under Peter's accusing stare that she knew he had set upon her. She continued to work swiftly, making sure that she was extra careful when she rolled him onto his stomach so she could mend his back. When she finished, she rolled him onto his back again, and was in the process of cleaning up her materials, when he awoke again.

"Are you still there?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. Leah paused what she was doing, grabbed her tin water cup and filled it from the clean water bucket. Then she kneeled down next to him.

"I'm still here." He gazed up at her with glazed eyes.

"I thought you would have left by now." She shook her head, and for the faintest second, she thought she had seen him smile, but it swiftly melted away into convulsing coughs. Leah hurriedly placed the cup down on the wooden floor and helped him sit up. Peter cautiously steadied himself by holding onto her shoulders, as the cough continued to rake over his body. Slowly they faded and he closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He was startled when he felt cold tin press against his lips. He opened him mouth slightly and sighed as the cool liquid trailed over his parched throat. When the cup was drained, she drew it away. He once again took deep breaths to regain his composure before opening his eyes. As his vision adjusted to the dim light in the wooden hell, he was unprepared for the sight he saw before him.

Leah clutched the tin cup close to her chest, and stared up at Peter. Wisps of her hair that had come undone from its braid fell playfully around her face. But what had surprised Peter the most, were the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Something in the pit of his stomach stirred, and purely instinctively he watched himself raise his hand to her cheek and brush away a tear with his thumb. Immediately he regretted his actions when he saw the fear and shock that leaped into the depths of her green eyes, and knew that she would have pushed away from him had she not know that her presence was what was keeping him stable.

Peter awkwardly broke eye contact with her and stared into a darken corner of the room. He was about to pull his eyes away when an object nailed to the wall caught his attention. As the torch light flickered over it, Peter felt like lead had just dropped into his stomach.

Leah felt his grip on her shoulders suddenly, and followed his gaze to the corner of the room. When she realized what he was staring at, her stomach drop and she felt a lump form in her throat. _Please don't ask me. Please don't ask._ She internally begged, but when she looked up at Peter's face, she knew by the expression in his eyes when he sharply turned back to her that he would.

"What happened to Tootles?" His green eyes bore into hers, searching, probing for answers.

"I…he…" She stumbled and turned her head away, tightly closing her eyes, trying to prevent the images that came flooding to her. That was the answer Peter need to confirm what he dreaded.

For pinned in the corner of the wooden dungeon, was the suit of a small skunk, the fur matted with blood.

---

Ahhh, another chapter finished. Sorry this one took longer than a day or two as we had said before, but Star's internet is being a pain in the behind, and my computer apparently didn't like the disk we save this chapter on. But we got it working, so here we are. We have no idea when the next chapter will be out because we haven't even started writing it yet. So please be patient with us. And please, please review. It helps so much when we are in a funk and can go back and read past reviews. It gives us a ton of encouragement and extra vigor to keep writing! Thanks so much!

-Star and Glade

8-19-04


	8. Leah's Decision

Chapter 7

Leah's Decision

---

No matter how much he pleaded for his eyes to look away, Peter couldn't tear his sight from the fur that was crudely nailed to the ship's wooden hull. Then, in gruesome reality, he noticed that the blood was fresh, and felt a wave of nausea over take him.

Leah felt his hands on her shoulders tighten further and knew that by morning she would have bruises. Her heart twisted agonizingly in her chest, for she could only imagine the horrible images and thoughts that must be plaguing his mind. It was wrong, all wrong. No one should have to suffer through this. Before she could fall any deeper into the darkness of her thoughts, he broke the silence.

"When?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper, and cracking as it caught the suppressed tears that clung to the back of his tighten throat. Leah tries to ignore him, turning her head away and feigning great interest in the torch flame on the opposite wall. But that only succeeded swelling his frustration, and in doing so, forced his short nails deeper into her shoulders.

"When?!" Peter asked again, shaking her lightly in his agitation and desperation for the truth.

"A few hours ago." Hook's voice permeated the silence that hung heavy in the air. Peter and Leah both started at the captain's sudden and unexpected appearance, and turned sharply to look at his frame, now haunting the doorway, seemingly far too small for his imposing presence. "Now, kindly release her so that she may return to her regular duties. For as I see it, she is done here."

Peter's blood boiled and surged in his veins, and his eyes flashed with hatred. He would like nothing more in all of Neverland then to be able to wrap his fingers around the arrogant captain's neck, and not relent until he was sure that the man was dead. But his current condition hindered him, and all he could do was glare.

"What? No witty comment? No statement of superiority?" Hook taunted as he stepped forward, the firelight casting half of his face into ominous shadow. "I guess I win then." He turned and walked to Tootle's fur hanging on the wall, and ran a finger through it. Peter tensed and was about to lunge at him with all the strength he could muster when Leah gripped his upper arms in a firm grasp. But despite her efforts, he paid no heed to her, and strained against her hold.

"I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you even if it's the last thing I do!" He cried. Hook slowly turned and surprised Peter with the smile he had placed on his furtive features, a hauntingly pleased air about him. Methodically he stepped forward and leered over Leah's shoulder to challenge Peter.

"I'm sure it will be." Peter felt as if he had just had cold water thrown over him, Hook's icy stare barring into him with unconstrained detestation. Then he was gone, out the door and up the stairs, leaving as suddenly as he appeared. His assertion still rang loud and reverberated around in Peter's head. Once the door was fully closed and latched, Peter sank into Leah, pressing his forehead into the crook of her shoulder.

His world was beginning to crumble around him. The only stable thing he had was right in front of him, holding him gently to her caring warmth. Maybe Hook was right. He was winning.

"He only wins if you give up." Peter lifted his head and stared into her eyes. He hadn't realized that he had spoken aloud. He searched her face for some sign deceit, but there was none that he could see. All he could find was pure and innocent honesty. She was so naïve, she didn't understand. Peter slowly shook his head defeatedly and dropped his hands from her shoulders, and let them hang heavily by his sides.

"I…" He trailed, turning his eyes back upon the blood matted fur. _Tootles is gone. _Gradually he began to plummet into the abyss of his mind, allowing for the grief to begin taking over him. Then from outside the darkness, a warm hand pressed against his cheek, delicately averting his gaze to its occupant. She gently caressed his cheek with the pad of her thumb, then rose on her knees to press her lips to his temple. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his ear against her chest. Comforted and content to just listen to the steady beat of her heart.

But the world wouldn't let him enjoy the moment, for a banging upon the door and a rough voice from beyond it, broke them apart. Leah watched Peter shrink away from her as the heavy door was thrust open and the two burley guards entered.

"Time for 'im to go back up." One grunted, dangling a new set of chains out in front of him delightedly. Leah stood and stepped out of the way as the guards roughly grabbed Peter by the upper arms, dangling him between them like a rag doll, and brusquely chained him. All the while she watched as he didn't even attempt to fight back. This wasn't the person she had met her first day in Neverland. This person was defeated and broken, unwilling to fight for what he still had left.

The two pirates slapped their hands together and congratulated each other on a job well done as they left the room. Leah sneered at their retreating persons; they were despicable, vile creatures. To feel proud about having restricted and tortured Peter. She couldn't stand it!

Leah looked over at Peter, his chin resting against his chest, eyes tightly shut. She had to get him out of here. If she didn't, he would die; if not physically, then in spirit. She couldn't allow that to happen.

"C'mon girly. Time to leave." Leah hadn't even realized one of the pirates returned until he forcefully seized her arm and began to drag her out of the room, while the other guard extinguished the torches. As the door shut, through the crack of light that was still shining into the room, she could see Peter lift his head and take pleasure in the last bit of daylight upon his face before he was once again cast into shadow.

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Yes, we do know how absolutely long it has been and we are so so so terribly sorry! Please forgive us! We also know that this chapter is pretty short and we apologize for that as well. We hope that we can update soon! And we also thank everyone for their continued support!

Lots and lots of thanks for the reviews!

Star and Glade

11/14/04


	9. No More

Chapter 8 – No More

No matter how hard she tried, Leah was always trapped under the suspicious hawk eye watch of Captain Hook. She felt as if somehow, Hook knew that she was going to try to free Peter from his dark prison. Unfortunately, it would take her a few weeks before the right opportunity to put her plan into motion would present itself, and until then, she was forced to bear his gaze while maintaining the productiveness of her chores. Aboard the _Jolly Roger_, the atmosphere was that of a bright and jovial party of a group of people would had just watched their favorite sports team win a championship – sharply contrasting with the dark and looming mood of the sky around them. Leah inwardly sneered at the crew as they laughed and joked about as they continued with their daily chores, while she made her way over to one of the small boats perched against the large hull of the ship. She was off to the land again to retrieve more water for Peter.

_Peter._

Leah's heart broke ever time she thought about him hanging from the ceiling of the dungeon only decks below. He was getting worse and worse by every long day that passed. His physical strength was drained; almost to the point where he could barely hold his head up long enough to drink water. But her biggest concern was his emotional state. She could tell he was beginning to fade. The bright green eyes she had met on her first day in Neverland, that were filled with laughter and mischief, were now dull and devoid of their previous luster.

She stepped lightly in the tiny boat that was rocking heavily in the violent sea and lurched forward as the ship made its way to land. Once there, she felt the incredibly strong urge to praise the solid ground on which she stood, feeling the happiest she felt in a long time to actually be on ground that didn't sway beneath her. She sighed and turned her face to the darkened sky, which at that precise moment decided to unleash its torrent of water. Blinking the water out of her eyes, Leah began her walk into the deepest part of the woods to the river at its heart.

The journey took longer than she hand remembered it to be. The path seemed to be rockier and the woods were becoming darker and darker, even with the darkness that the storm created. Stopping at a high cliff that reached beyond the tops of the trees, Leah realized she was lost. Either way she looked the path was endless and the woods ominous, and for the first time in years, she became stricken with panic. Above her the sky thundered and flashed as the rain began to pour harder. Quickly searching around her she spotted a small cave about five feet above her. She hesitated for a fraction of a second until the sky thundered again, then she awkwardly scrambled into the small opening.

Resting against the cool wall, Leah breathed in the damp air. They wouldn't come looking for her. They probably thought that it was better that she become lost in the storm. And even if there were a remote chance that the Captain would send someone to look for her, it wouldn't be until the storm was over. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind howl through the cave, along with the wind there was also the distinct dripping noise of leak somewhere deeper in the crevice.

It was hours into the storm and the rain still looked like it wouldn't clear up. Crouched against the cave wall, Leah was cold and wet, her arms wrapped around her knees in an attempt to maintain any body heat that she still had. She clenched her teeth together to keep them from chattering, but she knew that it was a futile attempt. Another clap of lighting filled the small cave with light, sending a flurry of eerie shadows all around her. But one shadow in the depth of the cave caught her eye, causing her to stand and squint into the darkness. She held her breath and strained her ears for any noise that seemed out of place in the cave. And there! She heard it, small and almost inaudible but it was distinct – the sound of sniffling and chattering teeth.

"Hello?" She called into the darkness, stepping forward deeper into the fissure. The lighting lit up the cave again as the rain began to fall harder, casting some light on the small face that appeared.

-

The rain had finally let up by the time Leah made her way back to the small boat that was still tethered on the beach. Hook's burly pirates were lounging on the sand enjoying a midday, or midmorning, which ever she couldn't tell for the sky seemed to be forever dark to her, meal. At least now she knew why this continuous darkness covered the day sky.

As she placed her buckets of water in the small vessel, the pirates finally looked up from their gorging to notice her presence on the beach. But that's all they really did. They stared at her for a few moments before going back to their meal. Leah huffed at their incompetence in manner and was contemplating rowing back to the _Jolly Roger_ herself when the smallest of the three pirates slowly stood, dusted himself off then walked over to her. He looked her up and down before sniffing and motioned with his hand for her to climb in. Once she was settled, he pushed the boat off the beach and hopped in himself. It took them ten minutes to reach the ship – riding through unstable waves the entire way. She was not on the ship more than a few seconds when a panicked Smee came rushing up to her.

"Miss Leah, come quickly!" He puffed out, placing his hand on her back he urgently lead her towards the stairs to the dungeon deck. His demeanor rattled her; her mind was running over many scenarios that could have taken place on the ship in her absence, each one worse than the one before.

"What happened Smee?" She was finally able to ask him as they neared the bottom of the steps. But he didn't answer her. He only shook his head, his eyes focusing on the floor. When they reached the door she knew something wasn't right. The pirates that usually guarded the door with a surely manner, looked shaken, their eyes shifting around nervously as if waiting for something to jump out of the darkness and attack them. Even the usual stale scent that clogged the air had changed. Nothing fit. And the longer she stood in front of the door, the louder her heart began to pound in her ears.

Suddenly the heavy door flew open, startling the four that stood before its frame. There, silhouetted by the firelight, was Hook. And to Leah's horror, in his hand he once again carried his prized leather whip. When she looked up he was staring at her, his eyes burning with an intensity that alarmed her. At that moment all she wanted to do was turn and run back up the stairs, anywhere away from this madman. But she couldn't. No, she wouldn't – not without Peter.

Hook continued to stare at her before his eyes flitted over the pirates and Smee. The air prickled with the heavy silence that only ended when the Captain finally continued on his path up the stairs and into the waning day. Even though his physical presence had left, the tension that he brought remained in the small space, suffocating Leah.

"What has he done?" Her voice was soft, almost inaudible, and shaken. She looked around her at the three men, who merely turned away from her, ashamed of what they knew that she did not. Leah turned her attention on Smee, who, without looking at her, ushered her through the door and shut it behind him as he left. Placing the buckets of water that she almost had forgotten she was carrying on the floor, she waited a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkened lighting. But when they finally did, she begged to whomever there was up above, that she could not see.

Surveying the room around her, Leah felt her heart tighten and a large lump form in her throat. She could not believe that one man could do this.

The walls looked like a slaughter house – splattered with blood that, from the looks of things, had come from all directions. The wall to her right, where Tootles small skunk skin was hung, was now adorned with three new blood saturated pelts; two raccoons and a bear. Even worse, by the look of the room, it seemed that Hook had not only killed three more of the lost boys, but had made Peter watch the horrible murders.

Leah's hand shot to her mouth to prevent from vomiting as she quickly turned away from the sight. She couldn't wrap her mind around what had taken place in this room after she had left.

_This was the storm._

She shook her head to try relieving her mind of the vicious imaged that began to flood her. She couldn't even imagine what pain and suffering Peter was going through as he watched his lost boys killed before him, knowing that there was nothing he could do to save them.

_Peter!_

She suddenly realized that she had not seen him when she first walked into the room. Quickly she turned around again and spotted him.

Peter was not hanging from the ceiling as she had last seen him, but rather slumped against the far wall, his back to her. From what she could she, Hook had released his hatred once again upon Peter, who's back was covered with fresh wounds and blood that had begun to pool beneath him.

Cautiously she walked over to him, be weary to avoid blood pools on the floor. As she kneeled next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, she became aware that he was not only awake but also shaking violently. The skin that trembled beneath her fingers was ice cold and seemingly lifeless.

"Peter?" He gave no reaction to her hesitant call. "Peter, its me. Leah." This time from the depths of his throat arose a choking sound as he curled tighter into his fetal position on the hard wood floor. She got up off her knees and grabbed one of the linens she had brought in earlier that day, throwing it over his shivering form, not bothering to tend to his back immediately. She sat next to him until his shivering ceased, occupying herself by rubbing lazy circles with her hand over his shoulder. Suddenly he sat up, his hands clutched to his chest, his back to her.

"Peter?"

"I thought it was all just a terrible dream that I would eventually wake up from." He turned around to face her, his eyes red rimmed, tear tracks leaving lines down his dirty cheeks. But what he clutched to his chest made her breath hitch as she could see in his eyes that this had hurt most. "But suddenly, I know I'm not sleeping." Fresh tears began to pour from his eyes as he held his hands out to her, presenting to her what he held so close. "Please. Give her a proper burial."

In his outstretched hands was the crumpled lifeless form of his dear companion, Tinkerbell.

-

We apologize profusely for taking this long to update. And because of this Glade and I have decided to put the story on hiatus and complete it before putting up more chapters. We thank everyone who has supported us from the beginning and hope that you will remain supporters when we return somewhere around May or June (we're going to try for earlier but who knows) with the completed story. Thank you all again and keep enjoying the story we have written so far.

-Star and Glade

2-20-05


	10. Escape

Chapter 9 – Escape

---

Leah stared, horror struck, at the small figure lying in Peter's open palms. The fairy's once beautiful face was now completely lifeless and faded, her neck bent at an awkward and unnatural angle. She glanced up at Peter who had fixated his look upon his lifelong friend, and knew what it was that she had to do. Reaching out her hands, Leah covered his fingers with her own and curled them over Tinkerbell gently, encapsulating her in their body warmth.

"No." Peter's eyes shot up to stare into the face of the girl kneeling in front of him, her hands covering his. He couldn't believe what he had heard. She had refused to give Tinkerbell a proper burial and would probably enjoy it if she just rot like everything else on this horrid ship. His heart sunk deeper into his stomach, and for the first time, he completely lost hope in anything. Roughly he pulled his hands and Tinkerbell away from Leah, and turned his back to her.

"I thought that you were someone who was going to help me. But I see that you just as bad as any of the filthy pirates that live on this ship." He answered her bitterly, trying to her hurt her with his words as much as she had hurt him.

Peter waited a few moments for her reaction, a comeback, anything. But time kept on passing and she said nothing. Soon his curiosity for her reply got the better of him, and he turned his head slightly to see what she was doing. He was met only with her gentle gaze, which thoroughly confused him, and only made him angry.

Leah saw the anger in his eyes and realized that she should have completed her sentence right away. Leaning forward she placed a hand on his cheek and the other over Tinkerbell. His eyes flared at her gesture, but as she smoothed the tear tracks with the pad of her thumb, he began to soften.

"Peter," She started, making sure to have eye contact with him before continuing. "I'm sorry, but I can't do what you are asking me to." The irritation flooded his expression again.

"I see. I should have never trusted you in the first place. You're just another one of Hook's lackeys who doesn't deserve to - "

"Peter!" She pressed her fingertips to his lips to silence him, preventing him from saying anything that he might regret later. "I won't do this, because you will."

"What?" He was lost. Staring into her eyes, he tried to find something in them that would give him any indication of where she was headed with this.

Dropping her other hand down to his, she once again cupped his hands and Tinkerbell with her own. "Mr. Smee and I have been working on a plan to get you out of here. And now that all this has happened I feel that we have to do it immediately."

"Wait, Mr. Smee?" Peter was sure he had heard her wrong. It was hard to believe that the same Mr. Smee, who had followed Hook around for years like a cheap lap dog, serving his every beck and call, was now helping him, Peter Pan, to escape from Hook's grasp. It was a hard concept to comprehend.

"Yes. He's been very helpful to me since I've been here. And I believe that at this very moment, he is putting the plan into motion." She then ripped a piece off the linen that was hanging around his shoulders and handed it to him. "For her." Peter gazed down at his hands.

"Tinkerbell."

"For Tinkerbell." Peter looked up at Leah, who gave him a small, but sad, smile. For some reason, the warmth that she had in her eyes comforted him and he finally regained some of the hope that he had lost. But he refused to give himself too much, in fear that everything would end in vain.

Methodically, he wrapped Tinkerbell's small form in the linen, taking time to revel in the distant memories that he had of her. It was only then that he realized that he had no idea how long he had been imprisoned down here. He was so lost in thought that when he looked up to ask Leah, he found her to be at the door talking to Smee.

"Everything is ready Miss Leah. Avery and Jave have agreed to help us, and all we are waiting for now is for the Cap'n to fall asleep." Smee handed her a hooded cloak then turned. "I will return when it is time to go."

"Thank you so much Smee." He gave her a small smile over his shoulder before heading up the stairs, leaving the two pirates at the door that would be helping her when the time came. "Thank you. Both of you for helping us as well."

"It's nothing Miss." One said, the other just nodded his head. She closed the door and sighed, clutching the cloak to her chest as she rested her head against the doorframe. So far, everything that they have planned was going perfectly. A keg of fresh whiskey distracted the pirates down in the cabins below deck, and as they had hopped for, Hook avoided the commotion and retired to his quarters to enjoy his own stock of liquor. There Smee had snuck in sleeping herbs into one of the bottles, and being present to assure that Hook drank from the right bottle, Smee had gone straight to her to tell her that it would only take about fifteen minutes before Hook was off into his dream world. Once again praying that there would be no glitches in their plan, Leah turned to find Peter's green eyes, reflected in the dimming firelight, staring into hers. Walking over to him, she kneeled and removed the linen that was over his shoulders. Then in one fluid motion she draped the dark cloak over him and adjusted the hood over his head. His eyes had never left her face while she completed her task, constantly sending her a look of hesitant trust. He was still unsure of what exactly was going on, but knew somewhere deep inside of him that he had no other choice than to trust her.

Peter was about to say something when a knock came from the door. It slowly opened and revealed Smee nervously shifting from foot to foot, holding a similar dark cloak to the one that Peter was wearing.

"It's time." Leah rose and strode over to Smee who then draped the cloak over her shoulders and adjusted the hood over her head, the same way she had done for Peter only minutes ago. She then turned and walked back over to Peter.

"Let's get you out of here." She crouched next to him and swung his left arm over her shoulder, the slowly they stood together. Being off of his legs for the past few weeks, Peter was unsteady and leaned heavily on her. Embarrassed at his incapability, he attempted to remove his arm and stand on his own, but she thwarted his attempts by grabbing his left hand and curling her fingers around his. This not only prevented him from standing on his own but also pulled them tighter to each other.

Despite everything that he had gone through, Peter couldn't resist the feeling the warmth that he felt from her as she pressed against his bare torso, and willingly gave up his struggle for the little pride he had remaining and let her help him.

Leah looked up into his face and was relieved to see his acceptance of her assistance. Peter turned his head to look at her and gave her a small nod, which she returned, accompanied by a light squeeze of her hand in his.

Clutching Tinkerbell to his chest Peter hesitantly took a step forward, and only then was he grateful for Leah's presence supporting him, for without her there, he surely would have fallen over. Cautiously he took another, and then another, and before he knew it they were following Smee up the stairs and onto the deck into the crisp night air.

The sky had begun to clear and the glimmer of scattered stars, shined through the haze of clouds against the obsidian darkness of the night. Smee and the two pirates carefully and cautiously lead Leah and Peter across the deck and into a small boat rocking in the water flushed against the hull of the massive ship. Leah helped Peter settle in next to her in the vessel, still bearing his weight as much as she could. Soon, Smee un-tethered the rope that linked the two ships and they headed off across the water to the shore.

The night was unusually silent, except for the water that rolled beneath them. Next to her, Leah watched as Peter closed his eyes and turned his face up toward the sky – marveling the feel of the crisp air against his skin. He had a new appreciation of this air, and drank in as much as he could, fearing that it might be taken away from him again. She continued to watch him as he slowly dropped his head back down and open his eyes, all the time still clutching Tinkerbell tightly to his chest.

They made it to the other side of Neverland, and docked safely on the soft sand without being detected. Leah helped Peter out of the small craft onto the wet sand, the waves occasionally nipping at their bare ankles. Wordlessly, Smee handed Leah a bag of supplies, which happened to also contain the clothes that she had arrived in. Then, he and the two pirates bid their farewells to the two teenagers and went sailing off in their small craft, returning to the _Jolly Roger_ before anyone realized that they were gone. Leah watched them until they disappeared behind a cliff, and then turned her attention to Peter, who was staring blankly into the woods. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he bent his head to look at her, the moonlight reflecting the sadness in his expression.

"The woods seem so quiet." His voice was soft, almost inaudible over the sound of the crashing waves behind them. "I miss them." He began to walk away from her into the dense forest, his legs felt weak and he stumbled slightly, but before he could fall, she was right there beside him.

"Where should we go?" She asked him, entwining one of her arms with his.

"The fairy burial ground. I want her to be able to rest among her friends." Leah nodded and together they entered the forest, damp with the early morning dew.

---

….I guess we have a few things to say here.

-Yes, we know we're two months behind our schedule

-Second, as you probably have already have figured out we are not finished.

When Star and I sat down after our last post we had actually written out an out line of the rest of the story which at our guess comes to about 16 chapters…at this point in time, we are up to chapter 12 in rough writing – and what we have we like

The only problem is that we started this story a few years back and are slowly losing the initiative to sit down and actually write the rest out.

I (Glade) am headed into college next week which will cause further complications in Star and I finishing the story. But we do want to finish it. SO…we apologize in not having it complete when we said we would, but please keep in mind that we will finish.

Plus, every time we think about stopping we go back to the reviews and read them over and over again, and they help us become motivated. So please, PLEASE review and bear with us!

We love and thank all of you who have stuck with us!

-Star and Glade

8-19-05


	11. Burial and Hopelessness

Chapter 10 – Burial and Hopelessness

---

The air was crisp and the ground slippery beneath their feet. Peter and Leah had been trudging through mud and moist ground cover for what felt like hours, unable to judge the time a day due to the darkness of the woods surrounding them. Peter was tired, his strength had been drained from him a while now, but he continued through the forest, stumbling and falling as he went in order to reach his destination. Ignoring the intense burning in his legs Peter climbed over another fallen tree and landed in a soft pile of leaves, Leah soon following after him. Despite the haze that filled his mind, Peter couldn't help but occasionally letting his mind, and eyes, wander on the girl journeying beside him. He barely knew her, and yet she was doing everything should could to help him. When they paused to rest against a large tree he stole a glance at her, she had her face turned away from him and he could see she had picked up a few leaves and twigs in her thick braid. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face and turned to him.

"Ready?" Peter nodded, and she helped him to his feet. They weren't too far now.

By mid morning, or what she assumed to be mid morning, Leah began to see small glimmers of light flitting in and out of the trees above them. Suddenly, as if appearing by magic, the forest cleared and standing in the middle of the clearing was a huge tree; old and filled with wisdom, shining with the hundreds of pinpoints of light which she realized were the fairies. When they entered the fairy's domain, the excited activity of the inhabitants ceased and all seemed to stare at the two, solemnly aware of Peter's presence. Then, from high in the tree two bright lights swooped down and stopped in front of them. Leah held back her astonishment as she gazed upon the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen. The fairy King and Queen were haloed in a glimmer of light and garbed in gossamer that flowed over them like water. Their features were delicate and the wings that adorned their backs sparkled with the light of a hundred stars. But on their faces, they bore a pained expression, seeming to know already what had taken place. The Queen turned her sad eyes upon Peter and held her small arms out to him. Slowly he opened his hands, which he still clutched tightly to his chest, and revealed to all, Tinkerbell. The Queen gently landed on his hands and knelt beside the fairy, delicately touching the blonde hair, which lay limp against the pale face. The King then landed beside her and placed a hand on the Queen's shoulder, then carefully kneeled and gathered Tinkerbell in to his arms. As he took off, the Queen beckoned Peter and Leah to follow with her melodious voice that Leah couldn't understand. The journey was short, only taking them across the clearing to the other side of the tree where there awaiting them, encircled by an ethereal light, was a large field of flowers that Leah was sure had not been there only moments ago.

The Queen stopped them at the edge of the field, and Leah followed Peter as he kneeled on the ground next to a large white bud. Soon the sky around the fields began to fill with the hundreds of small fluttering lights of the fairies, all gathered to watch, and mourn. The Queen floated next to the King, and with a motion of her hand, the small bud blossomed and opened into a large rose. Gently, the King laid Tinkerbell into the center of the flower and with a motion of his hand, closed the petals around her. All around, the sounds of soft chimes were heard, guiding the small fairy to her new resting place. When the ceremony was complete, the Queen flew over to Peter and lightly kissed his forehead, then along with the King and all the other fairies, flew back into their tree, leaving Peter and Leah alone to watch the field before them slowly fade away.

Peter sat and stared off into space, his eyes glazed over as he watched Tinkerbell leave his life forever. Cautiously, Leah reached out and enclosed one of his hands in her own, being sure not to startle him. Peter continued to stare blankly but he allowed her to pull him off the ground and across the clearing, back into the lush of the forest.

It was about an hour before they reached the river running through the center of the trees, and they followed its path until they hit a waterfall, then cut across, covering their tracks to prevent any unwanted followers. The path continued down a hill, and then flattened out as the waterfall crashed into the ground.

"Stop." It was the first thing that Peter had said to her since burying Tinkerbell. Leah looked around and was unsure why he wanted to stop here; there was no place for them to stay – no cave, no cover but the trees that rose above them. Here they were completely exposed if anyone came along who was looking for them.

"But there's nothing here." She said. But he didn't answer her, he just slowly lowered himself to the edge of the river and splashed the cool water on his face and proceeded in washing off some of the dirt on his arms. "Alright, I'm going to take a look around. Maybe there's something here that can be useful." Slowly Leah walked into the trees, leaving Peter alone to cleanse himself in the river.

---

Leah searched for about ten minutes among the trees, but found nothing to her use. There were just trees, trees, trees, and dirt, with maybe some scattered grass and moss. She didn't even see any animals; the forest was so quiet and seemingly lifeless. She decided to abandon her search for a while and head back to Peter.

"Peter, I didn't find anything in there. Are you sure this is a good place to stop?" Leah called out as she exited from the trees. But once at the waters edge there was no sign of him. "Peter?" She called louder and waited.

No answer.

She scanned the soft dirt around her but there was no sign that Peter had walked away from the place that she had left him, nor was there any sign that someone else had come. A sense of dread washed over her as she made her way further up the river towards the waterfall, calling louder for him.

But still there was no answer.

Then suddenly she saw it; in the center of the river close to the crashing waterfall – tiny air bubbles.

"Peter!" Panic coursed through her as she quickly waded into the cold water.

---

_It's quiet._

_Am I…?_

_Am I dying?_

Peter had watched Leah disappear into the forest, leaving him all alone. Just him and the river. Peter stood and stepped into the very tip of the water, avoiding leaving any foot prints, and walked towards the waterfall. The water was so inviting to him, so welcoming, saying to him that it would wash away all of his problems. Peter waded further into the depths of the water; the suction of the waterfall soon dragging him under. For a few moments Peter panicked as the water began to fill his lungs and the sound of the water thundered in his ears. But then it became quiet, and he relaxed.

_Yes._

_I'm dying._

_I deserve to die._

_I couldn't protect them._

_Hook…_

_You __wi-_

Peter!

_Who?_

Peter!

_That voice…_

PETER!

_Leah._

Suddenly the world around him came crashing into focus – the cold water swirling around him, the lack of oxygen in his lungs.

Then there was something else.

Arms and hands. They were warm, encircling him, dragging him out of the water, out from his darkness onto the soft dirt that lined the riverbank.

---

Leah struggled to surface; she could barely hold her own head out of the swirling water let alone Peter's. Beside her, his body was limp and lifeless, and she knew that he was slipping away fast. Close to panic, she tightened her grip around his waist and kicked her feet until they came in contact with solid ground. With a last burst of energy she dragged both of them out of the water and onto the riverbank. Quickly she flipped him onto his back and pressed her ear to his chest. Encouraged that there was a heartbeat, she gently tilted his head back and pressed her mouth over his, praying that he would breath. It took a few minutes, but soon he began to cough up the water in his lungs and gasp in large amounts of air. Relieved, Leah turned him on his side, then sagged onto the sand, and took a deep breath. She watched as he finished coughing up water and took a few cautious breaths, then slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her, but quickly adverted them in shame.

He didn't know what to say, and even if he did, he didn't think he could. Despite all the water that he swallowed, his throat was dry, and the longer he lay on the riverbank, the colder he began to feel. Soon he began to ignore everything around him and what had just happened, and wrapped his arms around himself as he began to shiver, unaware that Leah had been speaking.

"What were you thinking? How dare you try to kill yourself Peter! By doing that, you're letting Hook win! You're letting your boys death be in vain!" Through the haze Peter was swimming in, her last words struck him and threw him out of the state he was in, and into consciousness. And the more he thought about what she was saying, the more he knew she was right. Sinking back into the sand, he became increasingly ashamed of his actions. Looking back on it now, he had no idea what he was thinking. All he wanted was to be released from the pain that was consuming him, and the only solution that he saw at the time was to end his life.

Leah took a deep breath after she finished with her rant. She had no idea that she carried all of these pent up emotions in her. Taking another breath, she looked down at Peter, and immediately forgot about how angry she was with him for giving up. Lying on the sand, Peter was curled up into a fetal position, shivering as his lips began to turn blue. Quickly she began to scan the surrounding area for a place where he could warm up, but became frustrated when she knew that there was nothing out there. Crawling over to him, she rubbed her hand up and down his bare arm, trying to give him back some of he body he that he was quickly losing. Suddenly she heard him mumble something through blue lips.

"T-The tree." Confused, she followed his shaky hand where it pointed to a large tree about a hundred feet away. Unsure but trusting his knowledge of the forest, she pulled his arm over her shoulder and hoisted his shivering form off the ground and slowly began to make their way over to the base of the tree. There she noticed, covered in years of moss, were names carved into the bark in a circle. _Wendy, Michael, John, Tootles, Twins, Cubby, Slightly, _and _Nibs_. In the center of the circle there was another name; _Peter._ Struggling, Peter reached out his finger and pressed a knot in the wood in the center of the 'P' in his name. There was a groaning from deep within the base of the tree, then slowly a crack began to form in the trunk and slide open to reveal a spiral staircase that looked like it wound all the way up to the top of the tree. Cautiously, she and Peter took a step in and began to ascend, the doorway closing behind them.

---

Hi! Well we're just moving right along now. We believe that this is our longest chapter yet! This chapter and the next originally were meant to be one, but we decided to make it two, so that means the next one won't be as long.

Thanks to everyone for your support! And we hope to have the next chapter up pretty soon!

-Star and Glade

9-5-05


	12. Warmth

Chapter 11- Warmth

---

It took them about five minutes, but eventually they emerged into a large one roomed tree house. To her right there was a draped window, across from her there was a large trunk, and to the left there was a large low bed that look like it was shabbily made, covered in furs, that took up about a fourth of the room. All the way across the room in the corner, there was a small alcove that she had no idea what it purpose was. But at that point, all she cared about was getting Peter warmed. Setting him gently onto the bed, he collapsed into the furs and pulled them over himself, desperately seeking their warmth. But even with the added warmth of the furs, he began to tremble even more violently, his teeth chattering and his lips turning a brighter shade of blue.

She knew that dressed as he was, wet and shirtless, there was no way he was going to gain the heat that he desperately needed. Frantically she began to search around the small tree house. Throwing open the trunk she found more furs and bed sheets, as well as a few clothes that looked like they belonged to a twelve year old girl. Finding nothing to her immediate use in the trunk, she gathered everything she had tossed out, and slammed it closed. Again she wandered the room looking under the bed, trying to find anything, but every minute that went by that left her search futile, Peter began to drift further and further away.

Frustrated, she found herself standing in front of the alcove, nothing in it but a small round carpet. As she was about to turn away, she noticed that the center of the carpet sagged every so slightly. Kneeling, she caught the end of it and pulled it away to reveal a deep tunnel and a ladder leading down to the mists of who knows where. With one last look at Peter, Leah took a deep breath before swinging legs into the hole and descending into the darkness.

---

She landed with a soft thud, on what felt like compacted dirt. As her eyes slowly began to adjust to the dim lighting, she realized that she was in a small cave located right under the large tree. Far off to her left there was long table with melted down candles and sea shell bowls. All around her, entwined with the tree roots, there were beds covered in furs and small homemade weapons. The floors were also covered in furs. Leah suddenly realized that this was the home of Peter and the Lost Boys. At first, a wave of awe came over her when she thought about how difficult it must have been to have created such a marvelous place to live, what a wonderful sense of life this home must have had. But she quickly halted her thoughts when she remembered that this place would never have that same life again.

The Lost Boys were gone.

Their home would forever be frozen in time like this without anyone to give it back its warmth. Peter would never want to come down here, it would only remind him of all that he lost and could never gain back.

Shifting her focus, and shaking herself out of the dark thoughts that were invading her mind, Leah turned to her right and noticed that there was a separate room of to the side with a large fur pelt acting as the door. Treading across the dirt ground, she pushed back the pelt and found herself in what she presumed was Peter's room, but at the moment, everything was in such disarray that it was hard to tell that it was once a room at all. This mess must have been what set Peter off to go look for Hook in the first place.

She cautiously stepped over the over-turned bed, a bow and quiver full of arrows, a pipe, an Indian headdress, and a tiny silver thimble, to get to the other side of the room where there sat a large trunk similar to the one that was in the tree house. In it she found Peter's clothes, and a feeling of relief swept over her. Gathering as much as she knew she could carry up the ladder, she quickly left Peter's room and began to climb back up to the tree house.

---

A few minutes later, she emerged into the small room, arms laden with clothes, and found Peter in the same state that she had left him. Only this time his eyes were open, staring heavy-lidded off into space.

"Peter?" In response, his eyes merely glanced over at her and what she carried, but his mind didn't comprehend anything. All he cared about at that moment was getting warm. "You need to change out of those wet clothes." Picking out a pair of cotton pants and a green tunic, Leah extended them to him.

For a few moments, he just stared at what she was handing to him, but when his mind grasped what she was trying to do, he slowly began to unwrap himself from his fur cocoon and push himself into a sitting position. With only one objective on his mind, Peter completely forgot about decency and the fact that there was someone else in the room, and began to peel his wet pants off of himself. Seeing this, Leah quickly spun away from him, a hot blush creeping up her neck and into her face, and handed Peter's clothes to him by reaching her arm behind her.

Her heart thudding loudly in her ears and she waited until she heard him collapse back into the bed before she turned around. Dropping the rest of the clothes on top of the trunk, she leaned over Peter and began to rewrap him in furs; careful to tuck the edges all around him so none of the cool air would enter. She noticed that in the corner of the room there was a bucket full of water and realized that rain from the previous storm had been gathering, almost waiting for them to use. Without any further hesitation or second thought about the water, she dipped a piece of cloth in the cool water and gently placed it on Peter's forehead.

Minutes ticked by, but still there was no change. His fever just wouldn't break, and every second that he didn't get better, she could tell that he was just getting worse. Leah started to feel a sense of panic and frustration sweep over her; she had no idea what to do.

She had to get his fever down quickly or else Peter would surely die in that bed tonight.

Suddenly she remembered something that she had learned about in school. _When stuck in cold environments, people would huddle together in order to conserve body heat._

_Body heat._

Never had she been more grateful to have paid attention in school then at this very moment. Nor was she more nervous. Kicking off the shoes she had forgotten she was wearing, Leah pulled aside one of the furs and slid into bed next to Peter. Even though she felt her entire body burn with embarrassment, she tried to ignore the feeling and focused on getting Peter warm.

In the dark haze of his fever, Peter suddenly felt something very warm press up against him, and found himself trying to get as close to it as possible. With this new heat, he became more relaxed and was finally able to drift off to sleep.

With their arms wrapped around each other, Leah felt the cold begin to drift away from Peter's skin, and grateful that his fever was finally beginning to go down, she too fell asleep.

---

Okay, that took us longer than we thought. But here is the next chapter! Please read and review! And thank you to everyone who stuck with us throughout everything! Love you everyone!

-Star and Glade

10-24-05


	13. The Crystal Marble

Chapter 12 – The Crystal Marble

---

A warm breeze filtered through the window, making the simple curtain billow and dance. Slowly Peter's eyes fluttered open, and he could see that outside the sun was trying to push its way through the dense cloud cover, creating a single ray of light shining on the wooden floor under the window. For a moment, he didn't know where he was or what had happened to him over the past few weeks. It seemed like he had been in a deep sleep for a very long time, and it all was just a dream.

Cautiously, he pushed the furs aside and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Even though he no longer felt light headed and nauseous, he was still extremely sore, and every time he moved too suddenly, the cloth of his clothes would scrap over his healing wounds. With as much strength as he could muster, he hoisted himself off the bed and began to carefully tread over to the window.

Pushing the curtain away, he sighed. The view had always been Wendy and Jane's favorite part of the tree house. Not only did it over look the river, gently flowing below, but the horizon and ocean of Neverland that seemed to stretch on forever. The sea was calm today; only a few waves that he could see were crashing against the shore. He and the Lost Boys were going to sail that ocean one day, and discover where it ended.

Peter dropped the curtain closed. Guess they would never get that chance.

Turning away from the window, he scanned the room; he hadn't been up here in a while. Everything was still that same way Jane had left it last time she came to visit him. But quickly he realized that there was something different, something wasn't the same. Then he heard it.

The soft sound of someone sleeping.

Taking a few steps towards the bed he noticed her. Her chestnut hair still in its plait, her face turned towards him, soft and relaxed in the depths of her dream. She sighed, her lips gently parting, and turned on her side, now fully facing him. Peter stood, rooted to his spot at the edge of the bed; intently watching her as her chest gently rose and fell with each breath.

Leah.

She had done so much for him, and they barely even knew each other. She even risked her own life to save his; he could never do enough to repay her for that. The longer he stood watching her, the tighter and tighter his chest became, and he couldn't understand why. All he knew was that this girl was affecting him in a way that no other girl had before, and it frightened him.

He continued to gaze at her as she began to shift again, stretching an arm out to the empty spot in the bed that he had previously occupied. Upon noticing that the space next to her was empty, she suddenly bolted upright, catching Peter off guard.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. It's just that I didn't," She paused, and stared at him, taking in that he was out of bed and standing on his own. "How are you feeling?" She asked while climbing out of the bed and unsuccessfully smoothing the wrinkles out of her skirt.

"Better." It was at that moment that he realized that the warmth and comfort he felt last night was her. She again had become selfless and spent the night next to him, giving him the warmth that he needed to get well. And the more he thought about it, the warmer his face became.

Turning away from her, he noticed the exposed opening in the alcove and his heart sunk into the pit of his stomach. Slowly he made his way over and peered down into the darkness, placing a hand on the wall to keep himself from falling over. Wave after wave of hopelessness and anguish hit him the longer he stood there, thinking about what was at the bottom, and what memories that place carried for him. His legs became weak with the onslaught of emotion, and he gradually slid to the floor.

The next thing he knew, she was there next to him, helping him stand and walk over to the bed and sit down, and where he should have felt grateful for her help and care for him, the closer she was, the more he wanted to push her away. He could never repay her, and that feeling helplessness was not who he was.

He wanted his life back. He wanted to fly over the trees of Neverland with Tinkerbell by his side, and the Lost Boys below them running through the forest trying to keep up. He wanted to hear their laughter again, and play games with them.

But most of all, he wanted to kill Hook.

He had never felt more hatred towards someone, in his entire life, and he wanted Hook to be gone, but before he went, go through the pain that he was going through.

"Peter, please. You're hurting me." Her voice was soft, but it was enough to snap him out of his thoughts and realize that he was gripping her arm in anger, getting tighter and tighter the more malicious his thoughts towards Hook became. Quickly he let go of her arm as if it burned him, and quietly apologized. "It's alright." She said with a small smile.

Minutes passed between them with no words being spoken, Peter just stared at the covered window from his seat on the bed, and Leah quietly glanced around the room.

"Can you, um," She started suddenly. Peter looked over at her and noticed that instead of focusing on him, she was staring at her feet, her face wearing the color of a deep blush. "Can you take off your shirt?" Peter was almost physically thrown off the bed by her request, color also beginning to creep into his face. Looking up, Leah noticed the confused look and the blush on his face and quickly tried to explain herself without adding any more embarrassment or awkwardness to the situation. "I need to check your wounds." It took his mind a few moments to fully comprehend what she said, but when he did he gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.

Grabbing the hem of his shirt with both hands, Peter slowly pulled the garment over his head, grimacing as the skin of his torso stretched uncomfortably. Once it was off, he tossed the shirt aside, stared up at her, and waited. For a few moments she just stood and studied him, then took the salve that Smee had given her out of her bag, and settled herself behind him. His wounds were still bad, but they looked as if they were beginning to heal nicely. Opening the jar, the pungent smell wafted up her nose, and she paused for a few seconds to get used to the stench before dipping two fingers into the goop.

Gently, she began to smooth the cream over the gashes in his skin, careful not to put too much pressure. As she continued, Leah heard low hissing and looked down to see that Peter's hands were fisted into the furs on the bed, his knuckles beginning to turn white. Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and blew a steady stream of cool air onto the burning wound. For a moment, the muscles in his back tensed, then slowly she watched he hand uncurl from its death grip on the fur. Silently she continued, going back and forth from applying the ointment, then a cool stream of air, finishing the treatment on his back in only a few minutes.

Clasping the jar in her clean hand, Leah shifted around to sit in front of him so she could begin on his front. She applied the ointment to the long cut that curled across his collarbone, causing Peter to tense in pain again. With a deep breath, she leaned forward and blew cool air on the wound, ignoring the intimacy that it created between them. When she pulled away, Leah felt the cool air of the room sweep across her heated cheeks and averted her eyes from meeting his. Dipping her fingers in the jar, she applied the medicine to a deep wound on the center of his chest, and when he hissed she took a deep breath to sooth him.

"Don't." Peter had only whispered, but his voice was loud in the silence of the room. The air that she had been holding, slowly released from her lungs as she looked up at him. His head was turned away from her, eyes intently staring at the window, and she noticed that the deep blush he bore had spread all the way to the tips of his ears.

"Alright." She answered in a whisper. The rest of the treatment continued in silence.

---

Days passed, and slowly Peter began to regain some the strength he had lost, his wounds began to also heal, but only physically. One night, after having some success in being able to hover a few inches off the ground, Peter climbed out and soundlessly padded across the room to the opening that led to underground hideout. Taking a deep breath, he removed the carpet and carefully descended into the darkness.

Peter landed with a soft thud, the floor exhaling some dirt underneath his feet. The hideout was the same way that they had left it that early morning he and the lost boys had gone to confront Hook. He took another step into the room, stepping over discarded clothes and blankets, and stood in front of the long wooden table, melted down candles stuck to the surface, their flames long extinguished. Running his hand over the wood, he paused and picked up a single forgotten crystal marble, memories instantly flooding back to him.

"_Peter!" Tootles cried the moment Peter entered the room. "Cubby took my marbles!" The little boy pulled on Peter's shirt, tugging him towards the table where Cubby sat, trying to look innocent._

"_I didn't do nothin'." The round boy said._

"_Cubby." Peter warned, giving the boy a stern look. It was at times like these that Peter felt like he was acting more like the boy's father than their leader and friend. _

"_Little snitch." Cubby muttered under his breath, throwing the bag of marbles on the table as he got up on walked over to where the twins were huddled talking in hushed whispers._

"_Here you go Tootles." Peter said, handing the bag to the small boy._

"_Thanks Peter! You wanna play with me? You can be the crystal one." Tootles asked sweetly while rummaging in the bag for the marble._

"_But that's your favorite one. Why do you want me to play with it?" Peter questioned. Tootles paused his searching and just looked up at Peter and smiled. That smile could melt even the coldest of hearts. "You know what," He said, kneeling down to the boy's level. "How about later?"_

"_You promise?" Tootles asked hopefully._

"_I promise."_

"Peter?" Her voice snapped him back to the present, where he was standing in a dark, empty underground hideout. Slowly he turned towards her to see her standing in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around herself and hair tousled from sleep.

"I promised him that we would play." Peter said softly, looking down at the marble. "But we never got around to it." Ashamed of the feeling of weakness that suddenly washed over him, Peter quickly walked past her, pausing to place the marble in her hand before ascending back up the ladder. Leah stood staring at the small marble in her open hand, and hated Hook more than ever.

---

Wow, that took us far longer then expected. We were going to post on thanksgiving, but computers hate us right now. Thank you so much for hanging in there with us! And just as a side note, next chapter will be happier and will mark the halfway point in the story! Happy reading!

-Star and Glade

11-28-05


	14. Renewed Hope Part I

Chapter 13

Renewed Hope – Part One

---

Neither Peter nor Leah spoke about the night down in the hideout, and both acted like it never happened. Since that night, two weeks have passed, and gradually Peter's wounds completely healed, leaving only thin scars drawn across his entire torso to remind him of what Hook had put him through.

It was mid-afternoon, and the sun continually found holes in the clouds that seemed to always hover in the sky, bathing Neverland in light only once in awhile. Peter stood in the center of the river, building up strength by walking against the flow of rushing water, while Leah sat on a rock secretly overlooking him, peeling fruit that Peter had shown her that grew in the trees nearby. He slowly took one step at time, forcing his way through the current, pushing himself mentally and physically to take another step. Pleased with himself that he gotten ten paces farther then the day before, he began to inch his way back to the bank ignoring the burning of the muscles in his legs that pleaded with him to rest. Once on the sandy bank he sat down and finally let himself rest.

Gathering up all the fruit into a basket, Leah made her way down the rock and over to where Peter sat, his legs stretched out in front of him and face tilted up towards the sky. He turned his head towards her as she approached and gave her a look that she concluded was his recent attempts at a smile. It wasn't as much of a smile as it was a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, but she was content in the fact that he was trying. Basket set between them, Leah settled herself next to Peter and offered him one of the pieces of fruit, which he eagerly took and bit into hungrily. The corners of her mouth twitched as she watched him wipe off some of the juice that dribbled down his chin with the back of his hand. Lately, she had seen more of the old Peter peek his way out, and it was through simple actions like the wiping off of juice, that gave her hope.

As she bit into a piece of fruit, which tasted like a cross between a strawberry and a peach, she let her mind wander. Over the past weeks that they had been together, they had barely said anything to one another, and she realized it was on no fault of his. She had thought that she was giving him space to let everything that happened sink in, but it had been almost a month now, and if she still thought that, then she wasn't giving him enough credit. She snuck a look at him out of the corner of her eye as he reached for another piece of fruit. No, it was all her. She was afraid to get close to him; afraid of what the secret she harbored inside of her would do to him is she revealed it. So deep in her thoughts, she hadn't realized she'd finished her piece of fruit until she almost bit into her finger.

Next to her Peter stood up and wiped his hand on his pants and dusted off some of the sand that stuck to him.

"Thanks for the food." He said, giving her his attempt at a smile. Then he began making his way back into the river.

"You're going back out?" She knew the answer, but still she had to ask.

"The only way I'm going to get stronger is if I keep working." He made his way into the center of the river and began to work again.

Leah wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled her knees to her chest, and sat on the edge of the river watching him. She watched as he struggled with each step he took, pain glazed in his eyes that he was ignoring. She knew that in his mind, with each step, he was one step closer to getting his revenge on Hook. Deep in her heart she knew that Hook wanted Peter to enact revenge upon him, but Leah would never tell Peter that.

Suddenly her heart stopped as she watch him wobbled then slip under the water into the current. She stood and waited anxiously as the seconds ticked by, he wouldn't want her to help him, but how long was too long to wait? Then she saw his head resurface, he gasped in air as he struggled to regain his footing. He was trying to make his way back onto the bank but his legs kept giving way and he was again swallowed by water. Ignoring what he would want, Leah waded into the water until it was waist high and stretched out her arm and wrapped her hand around his wrist. Digging her feet into the sand beneath her she pulled, until his other hand was able to grab her wrist and he could pull him self into a standing position next to her. For a moment they rested, his hand still wrapped around her wrist.

"Are you okay?" She asked, taking in deep breaths to try and calm her heart. Without warning he violently pulled his hand away and his eyes turned livid. Pushing past her he made his way back onto the bank. "Peter-"

"Next time, don't help me." He stated, his voice sounded angry, but she believed that it wasn't meant to be towards her. She waded through the water and back onto the bank, stopping a few paces away from him, his back turned to her.

"But-"

"How am I going to get stronger if you're always helping me?" He whipped around to face her, her clothes dripping wet and arms wrapped around her as she shivered in the air that suddenly grew cold as the sky began to grow dark. Leah looked hurt, but she also looked angry. She just saved him from drowning, again, because he was too much of a fool to realize that he wasn't ready to push himself that hard yet. He had no right to be angry with her. Feeling ashamed of himself, Peter turned away from her and walked into the darkness of the trees.

---

"_Smee."_

"_Yes Capn'?" Two ice blue eyes peered over the rim of a brandy cup at the portly man who sat opposite of the mahogany desk._

"_You are a wicked man." The Captain took a sip of his drink, savoring the warmth that spread over him as the liquid curled down his throat._

"_Capn'?" The man asked, confused. The ice blue eyes stared up at him again._

"_But I would not have it any other way." The Captain smirked as the portly man across the mahogany desk refilled the Captain's cup of the amber liquor._

"_Yes Capn'."_

_---_

Peter didn't return that night.

Leah had spent the rest of the day mulling over in her head what he had said to her. With every thought, she would bounce back and forth from being understanding of what he said, to being hurt, then being angry. She had done so much for him without a seconds hesitation and without expecting anything in return. She could have left him to hang in Captain Hook's dungeon until the end of his days. But she didn't. She had helped him, and now he was mad at her for it.

Sitting up in the bed, she blinked the sleep from her eyes. She inhaled deeply the cool morning air that found its way through the holes in the small tree house, and then exhaled it on a sigh. Sleep had been welcome the night before, but she wasn't granted any. The entire night her restless mind was plagued with thoughts about everything that had happened since she had arrived in Neverland, the final thought that invaded her before she succumbed to sleep was, where had Peter gone?

Slowly she sat up, tossed the covers aside, and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The small room seemed far more empty then usual that morning. Normally when she woke up, Peter was there beside her. It was odd how she had become so accustomed to his presence in such a short amount of time. Now when he wasn't around, things just didn't feel right. Leah stretched her arms above her head and slowly stood. She was about to take a step when a noise from below caught her attention. Perking her ears she focused her attention on the sound and realized that it was filtering up through the tunnel that led to the hideout below.

Unsure of what was going on below her, she cautiously made her way down the ladder, keeping herself ready to quickly make her way back up the tunnel if necessary. When she reached the bottom, she stood in awe as the entire hideout flickered with candlelight, hanging from the ceiling, resting on the table and in the tree roots. Peter wasn't anywhere in sight, but then the same thumping noise she heard above, came from beyond the fur doorway that led to Peter's bedroom. Carefully she made her was across the dirt floor and pulled the fur open a fraction of an inch, and peered inside.

The room, which had been in complete disarray the last time she was down there, was now put back together; the bed was right side up, and all Peter's possessions were placed back into their proper shelves and tree roots spread throughout the room. Peter's back was to her when she entered; he was leaning forward on a wall, his arm above him. She took light steps across the room as to not scare him, and was about to place her hand on his shoulder when he tensed up and slammed his fist into the tree and cursed. Taking a deep breath, Leah gently laid her had on his shoulder, causing him only to turn his head slightly in surprise, but immediately returning to stare fixatedly at the roots.

"Peter?" She asked softly.

"I should…I should have been able to save them." He balled his fist tighter above his head. "But I didn't. I didn't do anything. I was weak and just sat back and watched them die!" Peter slammed his fist against the wall again, making Leah wince. He sighed and his shoulders hunched. "And now, I've lost everything."

Gripping his shoulder firmly, Leah turned him around to face her, but even then he wouldn't look her straight in the eye. Frustrated, she framed his face with her hands and forced him to look at her. His green eyes were misted over with unshed tears as he searched her face for the answer to some unknown question. Her heart pounding in her chest, and contracting painfully in sympathy, she made a reluctant decision. Her hands falling from his face, she looked him straight in the eyes.

"You're wrong." She said. He stared at her in confusion. "I…" Taking his hand in hers, she began to pull him to follow her. "Come with me, there is something that you need to see."

Together they walked out of the hideout, through the forest towards the Indian encampment.

Yeah…we really don't know what to say here anymore…it's been a few months and it's a shock to actually see us put up a chapter but, yes but, there is a good part! This chapter is part one of two, and the second part will be out by Sunday. Two updates in one week you say? Yes that's right. So if you are renting homes in hell, you might want to check them, cause they might be frozen now. AND….we have almost completely, in detail, outlined the rest of the story, and right now, its at twenty-one chapters! Please review!

-Star and Glade

3/21/06


	15. Renewed Hope Part II

Chapter 13

Renewed Hope – Part II

---

The Indian encampment sat on a cliff high above the Neverland ocean, overlooking the vast expanse of water that still craved to be explored by the adventurous. Exiting the forest, it was as if being thrust into a completely different world. The entrance was flanked by two massive totem poles that's height challenged even some of the tallest trees in Neverland. Each one decorated with the guardian animals of the tribe from the very topmost eagle, to the bottom bear, who supported the rest of the animals on his wide shoulders.

The sun had reached the highest point in the sky when Peter and Leah, made their way past the poles into the heart of the encampment. All around them, teepees stretched to the very edge of the cliff, and all surrounding a central communal fire pit. As they continued to walk further into the camp, heads of the Indians began to turn and all were looking strangely at Peter, some of the younger children even tugged at their mother's skirts and pointed at him. When a man about the age of five and twenty past them and gave Peter the same strange look, Peter glanced over at Leah as if to question her what was going on. But she said nothing in return.

Leah knew that the Indians were all surprised to see Peter for most had assumed him to be dead. Now that he was walking right past them, alive as can be, they were astounded, but at the same time, very happy to see him still alive. Some of the elders that they past, would give the two of them a sympathetic head bow, and Leah realized that the elders were probably the only ones who really knew what happened on Hook's ship.

Finally, after enduring countless stares, Leah stopped in front of a teepee a few teepees away from the edge of the cliff. Standing outside, was a large man with long black hair and a series of designs drawn across his chest in red clay. Upon seeing Leah, he gave a slight nod, and pulled aside the opening flap for her to enter. As Peter past him to follow Leah, the Indian gave Peter the same strange look as everyone else had, but at the distance they were at, Peter was able to see the pity that the man carried for him behind his brown eyes. Trying to avoid the man's stare, Peter entered the teepee, the Indian dropping the curtain behind him as he followed Peter inside.

Inside, the teepee lit by sunlight through the smoke hole at the top, Peter noticed that the small home seemed even smaller from the inside than it did from outside, and realized that half of it had been blocked off by a curtain drawn from either side.

He wasn't inside for more then a few seconds when all he saw was a flash of black hair, then felt someone through their arms around him.

"Peter! I was scared that…that you might be dead." Princess Tiger Lily cried, her voice hitching as she clung to him. She pulled away from him, her eyes shining with tears. "I'm so happy to see that you are alive." Through the past weeks, Peter couldn't believe that he had almost forgotten about Tiger Lily. She had been his best friend since as far back as he could remember, and he felt horrible that he had made her so worried.

"It'll take more then that to kill me." Peter said, putting on a false bravado. But immediately he could see that Lily didn't believe him, and she gave him the skeptical look that she always gave him when he told her an elaborate story about how he was able to wrestle an alligator with one arm behind his back. But then she gave him a small smile, and turned to look over at Leah, who was standing patiently by the divider with her hands clasped in front of her. Leah gave the Princess a small nod, as if telling her something in code that Peter was desperately trying to understand. Lily glanced at Peter, who looked at her in confusion, then answered Leah with the same small nod.

"We will be outside, if you need us." Lily gave Peter one last hug before exiting the teepee, the large Indian following right behind her. Once the two were gone, Peter turned his gaze upon Leah, still trying to figure out why they were there and what was going on. What had Leah meant before when she said that he was wrong?

"Please, sit down. I'll be right back." Leah said gently, motioning towards the fur rug that was strewn across the far side of the teepee. Once he sat, she disappeared behind the curtain, leaving Peter alone. Seconds ticked by as Peter sat on the fur rug, focusing on the ray of light that filtered in from the smoke vent, his thoughts were confused as he tried to figure out why they were there. He didn't have to wait too long. A few minutes later Leah emerged from behind the curtain, but she was not alone.

Resting on her hip, she carried a small child who was dressed in Indian garb and whose face was pressed into the crook of Leah's neck, hiding him from Peter's view. Another young child, dressed in the same clothes, stood next to her, clinging onto her skirt, his face pressed into her side. Carefully Leah kneeled while cradling the boy, the other child, still keeping his face away from Peter, hurried into her arms as soon as she was settled.

Peter caught Leah's gazed and silently asked her what was going on. In response, she tilted her head towards the young boy she cradled and whispered something in his ear that Peter could not hear. Cautiously, the child pulled his face from her shoulder and looked up at her, and with her head she motioned in Peter's direction. Peter held his breath, and time stood still as the child slowly turned his head to face Peter. It took a moment for Peter to register the boy's face, but once he did, his breath released in a choking sob, that came with a single name.

"_Nibs."_

Upon hearing his name, the young boy's reaction was immediate. Leaping from Leah's arms his threw himself into Peter's stunned ones.

"Peter!" Tears poured in streams from Nibs' eyes, dampening Peter's shirt, but Peter didn't care. In his arms, the boy felt real, solid. Alive. And as he tightened his grip around his lost boy, in his chest Peter's heart exploded.

"No. It isn't true. Peter's dead. Just like everyone else. He's not there." Another young voice said, his voice cracking with strained emotion. Peter looked up at Leah to see that the other boy had wrapped his arms around Leah's waist and was violently shaking his head in disbelief. But even without seeing the boy's face, he recognized the voice, and Peter released another choking sob.

"_Slightly."_

The child turned, his eyes welling with tears as soon as he saw Peter's face. A loud wailing cry escaped from Slightly as he too ran across the room into Peter' s open arms. Leah sat back and gazed upon the three boys hugging and crying with joy, and couldn't help but feel her eyes mist over as well. She knew that she had made the right decision.

It was a few minutes before all the emotions began to settle down, but once it did, the young boys were attached to Peter's side as if they were glued. Peter kept his arms around his lost boys and couldn't believe that they were actually there beside him. He looked up at Leah and once again, couldn't believe how amazing she was.

"How?" Peter asked, tightening his grip around the boys.

"Well, I found them in a cave when I was waiting out a storm." Leah started.

"We thought she was one of the pirates!" Nibs chimed in.

"But she wasn't." Slightly continued. "She was just a girl." Leah smiled at his comment, as did Peter.

"She told us that she was a friend of yours and that she was trying to help." Said Nibs.

"We don't usually trust girls, but after getting away from the pirates, we had no where else to go." Slightly said while fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

"And how did you get away from the pirates?" Peter asked. The two young boys exchanged looks, the quickly turned away and stared uncomfortably at the ground. Peter looked up at Leah, but she was staring at the boys sympathetically.

"They told me, they got away while the pirates were trying to take Cubby with them." Leah said. Immediately, Peter had images of the last time he saw Cubby flash in his mind.

"Cubby put up a good fight." Slightly sniffed, his eyes shining with tears again. Peter hugged the boys closer to him.

"Yes he did." Peter began. "Up to the very last minute." All three were in pain, remembering their fallen friend, and Leah felt helpless. She wanted to help their pain go away, or at least ease it, but she didn't know how.

"I asked them if there was anyone that they could go to for help." Leah said after a few minutes of only their sniffing breaking the heavy silence. "They told me that Tiger Lily would help them. And that's how they ended up here."

"I'm just glad that they are safe." Came Peter's voice in a soft whisper.

Minutes continued to pass without anyone saying a word. Leah sat back and watched Peter and the boys enjoy each other's company. And as she watched Peter smile fondly at the boys he cradled in his arms, something flickered in her heart. It felt so foreign to her that she placed a hand over her chest, thinking that maybe it was something physical. But the more she watched him the more she was amazed by his strength, and she knew what she felt was the one thing se had been denying herself for as long as she could remember. Suddenly her train of thought was broken as Tiger Lily came rushing in.

"Peter! Leah! It's pirates." Tiger Lily said in a rush, her usually strong composure ruffled. "We saw a few sniffing around in the trees just outside our perimeter." Lily grabbed Leah's arm and pulled her into a standing position. "I think you two should be going." Leah knew that Lily was right, the longer they stayed there, the more danger they were putting themselves and the boys in. But glancing over at Peter, it would be heartbreaking to have to rip him away from Nibs and Slightly after the little time that they had together. How could she ask that of him?

"You're right." Peter's statement shocked everyone. Slowly he stood, still carrying the two boys in his arms, and carefully placed them on the floor.

"No!" Nibs immediately wrapped his arms around Peter's thigh.

"You just got here!" Slightly cried, wrapping his arms around Peter' s waist. "You can't leave us!" The boy's words cut straight into his heart. But Peter knew it was for the best.

"Hey, I would never leave you." Peter said. He kneeled down to their level, and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "You have to stay strong, okay?"

"But-"

"No 'buts'. I promise I will back to see you as soon as I can." Standing he placed a hand on each of their heads and ruffled their hair. Two small faces stared up at Peter, tears running down each of their cheeks. "Be good for Tiger Lily okay?"

"We promise." Peter smiled and forced himself to walk away from them towards Lily.

"Take care of yourself." Lily said, enveloping Peter in a hug.

"I will." Peter took a deep breath and walked away from her as well. Standing next to Leah, he took her hand in his. "Let's go." Peter continued to pull Leah out of the teepee and through the entire Indian encampment. The whole way, Leah stared at the back of his head and knew that he was in pain. She watched as he would occasionally bring his other hand up to his face then drop it. Unsure of what to do, she tightened her grip on his hand, and felt him give her a squeeze back.

---

Well imagine that! Happy TGIF everyone! One of our longest chapters yet and done in only a few days! Yay! We also want to give a big HELLO to the reader Embry who figured out the big secret of this chapter weeks ago, so…HELLO EMBRY! Happy reading!

Oh, and to Embracing…it's Friday! Be shocked! ;)

-Star and Glade

3/24/06


	16. Repulsive Desires

**Chapter 14**

_Repulsive Desires_

---

Peter and Leah made it to the tree house without incidence. They managed to avoid the two pirates that were circling the camp by making a serpentine through the trees, and then across the river. With one last sweeping look through the darkened trees, Peter ushered Leah into the tree trunk and up the stairs to the small room, lit only by a sliver of moonlight that found its way through the space between the curtain and the window frame. Peter refrained from igniting any lights for an unnecessary fear of attracting unwanted attention from wandering pirates.

Leah crossed the small distance to the window, and cautiously pulled the curtain aside. Peering through the moonlit darkness, she searched the riverbank for any sign of movement. When it appeared that they had made it unseen, she signed and relaxed a little. She was so caught up in searching for shadows, that she didn't hear Peter moving behind her until he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Dropping the curtain she leaned back against him, and felt his warm breath puff against her ear.

"Thank you." His voice was soft, but in the silence of the room, she heard it clearly. Slowly, Leah turned and encircled her arms around his middle. For a few moments she studied his face, so young and yet the pain and wisdom that swam in his eyes was ancient. She rested her head against his shoulder and tightened her grip around him, Peter followed suit.

"It was the least I could do." She muttered into tunic. In his arms, she felt so right, Peter thought. If only there was a way to be like that forever, maybe he could forget the pain that coiled itself so tightly around his heart, like a hungry serpent around its prey. But forever never lasted as long as the word meant.

Suddenly from below them, branches crunched and loud voices filtered up through the floorboards. Without hesitation, Peter pulled them both to a kneeling position below the window. Even though there was an unlikely chance that they would be seen, he was still on edge and didn't want to risk it. Pressed tightly against him, Leah pricked her ears to listen to the pirate's conversation below, but Peter made it difficult.

"Do you think they found the Slightly and Nibs? Was it right for me to leave them so suddenly?" He whispered frantically in her ear. Leah quickly placed a finger to her lips to shush him; he obliged but had to bite his lip to prevent himself from voicing more worries.

Leah and Peter both freeze when they hear the heavy footsteps and crunching leaves stop right below them and the voices of the pirates grow louder.

"Find em' anywhere?" A deep voice grunted.

"Naw. I thought I saw the girl over here somewhere. Then she disappeared." Another voice responded. At the mention of Leah, Peter pulled her closer to him and tightened his arms around her protectively. Looking up at his face, she could see that he was on pins and needles, waiting for something to go wrong. She took a deep breath and then held it, trying to hear the conversation below better.

"People jus' don' disappear. They got to be around here somewhere." There was a pause, followed by a low guttural grunt. "I can't wait to find the girl." He laughed. "The things that I would like to do to her."

"You 'eard what the Cap'n said, 'No one touches the girl'." The first pirate scoffed and kicked the tree house trunk, making a large _thump _that echoed all the way up into the small room.

"But when was the last time we had a women aboard? I can just imagine the things I would do." He laughed again, a haunting laugh that shook the air around them. " I would get her under me an'…"

Leah had heard enough. She turned her head against Peter's shoulder in attempt to block out the vile things the pirate below was saying. She became sick to her stomach as they continued to laugh and describe a vulgar imaginary sexual encounter with her. Repulsed, she turned away from Peter.

Peter didn't understand everything that the pirates below were describing, but by the way Leah had tensed and pulled away from him, he knew that it was something loathsome. Watching her through the darkness of the room, he saw that she had wrapped her arms around herself and was trembling slightly, fear and disgust etched in every inch of her body.

"Leah-"

"Didja hear something?" One of the pirates questioned, finally halting his discussion about Leah. Peter quickly clamped his mouth shut, and listened.

"Naw, just yer imagination. C'mon, they're not here. Might as well get goin'."

"Yeah, I guess. But it sure whoulda been nice ter find em' though." He laughed and the other pirate joined in. The sound of leaves crunching and twigs snapping joined in with the pirates' laughing, slowly faded into the darkness. Soon the forest was once again silent.

Peter stayed crouched under the window sometime after the pirates left, his eyes intently watching Leah through the darkness. He should say something to her, but what? Peter opened him mouth, when abruptly Leah stood, her back to him.

"I'll go check on the Slightly and Nibs tomorrow." Her voice was somber, quiet. Peter rose from his position on the floor and took a tentative step towards her.

"I'll go with you-"

"No." She said firmly, still not turning to look at him.

"But-"

"I'll go alone. You should get some rest, it's been a long day." Leah turned towards the alcove that descended into the hideout and was about to climb down the ladder.

"Leah," Peter started gently. "What the pirate said…I don't…I may not understand what he meant but…" Her eyes finally met his, and inside he retreated. Her eyes were glassy, brimming with tears she was trying to conceal from him. There's was nothing more he wanted to do in that moment then to take her into his arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright, that no matter what happened, he would protect her with all that he was. But the look in her eyes paralyzed him, and he didn't know what to do.

"Good night, Peter." Then she was gone.

Peter sighed and flopped onto the bed, one arm over his eyes, his other hand fisted around the fur cover.

_Damnit._

---

9-4-06


	17. The Beginning of the End

**Chapter 15**

_The Beginning of the End_

---

Peter didn't sleep very well that night.

His mind had replayed the words of the pirates over and over again, trying to understand the extent of what they had said. But he always came up empty.

The sun shone blindingly through the window signifying it was late in the morning. With a sigh, Peter sat up and looked around the room with tired eyes. Staring blankly into space, he thought of Leah. He wasn't able to say anything to her the night before, but when he saw her today, what would he say? Just like the night before, he came up blank.

Throwing the fur off of him he climbed out of bed and ran a hand through his hair. Satisfied, he climbed down the ladder to the hideout in search of the Leah.

The hideout was dark, the candles long extinguished. He searched all the little coves, but was unable to find her. Growing worried he padded across the soft ground to his room. But once again, he found the space empty. A wave of fear swept over him. _What if she had left?_

Peter made his way back up the ladder in a hurry. In his haste to find Leah, he was unaware that she was back in the room until he almost knocked her over, as well as the two buckets of water that she carried.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, jumping back to avoid a collision, causing some of the water to slosh onto the floor. "What's the hurry?" She asked while putting the buckets down in the corner, then she straightened and began to flit around the room tiding up, unaware that there wasn't much to tidy up.

"I…uh…thought that you had…" Peter stammered then clamped his mouth shut and watched her clean in stunned silence. She was acting so calmly, like nothing had happened the night before.

"Hm?" She paused putting a few things in a small bag for a moment and looked up a Peter, who was standing stock still by the entrance to the hideout.

"Uh….nothing." Still not moving, he watched her place a Neverland peachberry into a bag, and then pulled it closed. "Where are you going?" He tried to suppress the worry in his voice, but by the way her back tensed, he knew she heard it.

"I'm going to see Tiger Lily. I also want to check up on the boys."

"I'll go with you."

"No." She turned away from him and headed towards the door.

"You can't go out there alone. What if those pirates show up?" He crossed the small space to her, but didn't try to force her to face him. "I don't want them to hurt you." He held his breath when the words left him lips. He was always one to want to protect people, but the extra pang in his chest when it concerned her, took him aback.

The sincerity in his voice struck a cord in her heart. But she couldn't face him, and yet, she didn't know why. That's why she had to go see Tiger Lily.

"They are all back on the ship. I watched them leave."

"You watched them?" He couldn't believe her. Something was wrong; it wasn't like her to be so foolish. "But they could have seen you!"

"They didn't see me. Be careful if you go outside today. They should be back on shore soon."

"But-" She was outside before he had the chance to finish the sentence. He ran both hands through his hair and kicked a pebble that had found its way into the room.

---

Leah knew that all the pirates were on the ship; she had watched them all grumble their way back to their crafts moored on the beach, dragging a hog that they had hunted for lunch.

Never the less, it didn't prevent her from being paranoid on her way to the Indian encampment. Every snapping twig made her jump and spin around to see what had caused the noise. Only becoming satisfied when she would see a rabbit or other forest creature make its way through the bushes.

It took her a little longer than usual to travel to the encampment, but she was relieved when the saw the totem polls marking the entrance and became a little less on edge. She greeted the guards with a small smile and made her way to the Tiger Lily's teepee. Fighting Bear, the princess's guard was standing out front. When he saw her approaching his peeked his head inside the teepee, and then beckoned her inside with a nod of acknowledgment.

Slightly and Nibs were sitting next to Tiger Lily, who was teaching them how to fashion necklaces out of polished pebbles, and telling them the meaning behind each color.

"What's this one?" Nibs asked, holding up a reddish brown stone. Taking it from his hand, Lily holds it up to the light.

"Well, the red in this means _courage_, and the brown means _stability_. And you can also see little flecks of yellow meaning _wisdom_." She smiled and handed the stone back to him. "You have a very special stone there." Nibs beamed as he slid the stone onto a string filled with an array of multicolored stones.

Leah watched Nibs fondly, as he tied the two ends of the strings of pebbles together and held the finished piece out in front of him proudly. It was then that he noticed Leah standing at the edge of the teepee.

"Leah!" He jumped up and ran to her, catching her around the middle in a tight hug. "Look what I made!" He held the jewelry up for her to admire.

"It is very beautiful." She said with a small smile. From across the room she caught Tiger Lily's eye and knew that she could tell that there was something wrong.

"You like it?" Nibs asked, forcing her to break eye contact and look down at the boy.

"Very much." His face beamed, and it held it out to her.

"Good. Cause I made it for you!"

"Really?" The young boy nodded.

"Yep! I don't think I made it big enough for a necklace, but it cold fit around your wrist." Sure enough, he took her arm and slid the jewelry over hand where it fit perfectly around her wrist.

"I love it, thank you Nibs." She said, smiling at him. Not to be outdone, Slightly jumped up from where he was sitting, and stood next to them.

"I made one too!" He held up another multicolored bracelet, but rather than the reddish brown central stone of Nibs, Slightly's was blue.

"It's also very lovely." Leah said. Slightly held the piece of jewelry level with his eyes and scrunched his face.

"It's supposed to manly." He said in a thoughtful voice.

"I already told you, jewelry isn't manly." Nibs interjected, receiving an angry look from Slightly.

"It can so be!"

"Cannot!"

"Can so!"

"Cannot!" Tiger Lily jumped between the two boys to stop their arguing, and took Slightly's bracelet from him then looked at Leah.

"He made this for Peter. Could you give it to him?" Leah glanced over at Slightly who had turned away, cheeks red from either embarrassment or the argument, she couldn't tell.

"Yes I will. I'm sure Peter will like it very much." As she slipped the bracelet into the pocket of her dress she leaned closely to Slightly and whispered in his ear. "And I'm sure he will think it is very manly." Slightly turned at looked at her skeptically, but then he broke into a big grin that spread across his entire face. During her moment with Slightly, Leah didn't notice that Tiger Lily had stuck her head outside to talk with Fighting Bear. But when she straightened up, she say Fighting Bear standing by the door way beckoning the boys over to him. The two lost boys look hesitant to leave, but they were bright and could take a hint. Encircling their arms around her middle, Slightly and Nibs told her goodbye and then ran outside with Fighting Bear following behind them.

Leah watched their retreating backs in the sunlight until the flap folded closed. Behind her she could hear Tiger Lily putting the extra stones into bags. Turning, Leah knelt down next to her and helped her put the other jewelry making supplies away, all the while staying silent. When everything was back in their proper place, Tiger Lily crossed her legs and faced Leah.

"What's going on?" Leah contemplated not saying anything to worry Lily, but the girl was sharp and knew that if she tried to lie, Lily would catch it right away. Sighing, Leah settled herself across from the Princess and took a deep breath.

"We were almost caught by pirates last night." Tiger Lily's reaction was instant. Immediately concern and fear jumped into the girl's eyes.

"I knew I should have sent someone to go with you! Are you all right? Is Peter okay? Where is he now? What happened?"

"Yes, Peter's fine. He's back at the tree house." Leah paused, and looked down at her hands tightly grasped in her lap.

"You aren't telling me everything." Lily sat in silence and watched the different emotions that crossed the girl's face. "What did the pirates do?" She asked gently after a few minutes.

"They didn't do anything. They just…they said that they would…" Taking a deep breath, Leah described to Lily what she and Peter had overheard the pirates say, but with less graphic detail than the original wording. Anger poured out of Tiger Lily's expression, and Leah knew it wasn't towards her.

"Those filthy pirates! I could wring their necks! Every single one of them!" Lily crossed her arms and clamped her mouth shut in effort to contain the anger that bubbled up within her. Those pirates had hurt her best friend in the worst possible way, and now they were attacking someone who was growing closer and more important to him with every passing day. She was beginning to feel helpless. She didn't know what she could do to prevent anything else from happening. Lily was so deep in her thoughts that she almost forgot that Leah was sitting right in front of her. Leaning forward, she took Leah's hands in her own and looked her straight in the eye. "If those pirates ever do anything else to you, come tell me. I promise you, that I will do everything to prevent them from ever breathing again."

Tiger Lily had phrased it in an odd way, but Leah still felt comforted in the idea that Lily was on her side, and willing to help her.

"Thank you." Lily smiled and sat back, folding her hands in her lap.

"I should be the one thanking you." Leah was taken aback.

"What do you mean?" Lily looked thoughtfully into space, her eyes and expression growing somber.

"You've done so much for Peter. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened to him. Just the mere thought of the possibilities, ties my heart into knots."

"I just wish I knew why all this was happening. I overheard Hook saying something about revenge, but I know there is more lying beneath those words." Lily looked over at Leah, and studied her. There was something about this girl that made her different from anyone else brought to Neverland. She acted selflessly to protect Peter, Slightly and Nibs, and she genuinely cared about what happened to them. She had impacted Peter's life in a way that Lily knew he would never forget and she could never achieve. And then like a ball of lead, the truth settled in her stomach. Her heart lurched and her throat constricted.

_No. Please, no._

Lily must have made some sort of noise because Leah realized that some was wrong.

"Is everything okay?" The concern in the other girl's eyes made the truth even more painful.

"I think I know why all this is happening." She didn't want to accept it, but it was the only explanation. And judging by the look in her eyes, Leah was surprised with this statement.

"You do?" Lily swallowed in effort to loosen the muscles preventing her from speaking. With a deep breath, she made eye contact with Leah.

"Captain James Hook is trying mold fate."

"What do you mean?" Leah was confused; she wasn't sure where Tiger Lily was headed with this.

"I think…there is a story I need to tell you. The original tale of Pan."

---

"_It's beginning Mr. Smee. I can smell it in the air."_

"_Cap'n?"_

"_The beginning of the end is approaching. Gather the men, we have work to do."_

"_Yes Cap'n."_

---

Yes friends, as the title and Captain Hook tells us, the beginning of the end approaches. From here, questions will be answered, chapters will get darker, and fate will be molded. Stayed tuned and review!

-Star and Glade

11-3-06


	18. The Original Tale of Pan

**Chapter 16**

_The Original Tale of Pan_

_---_

Peter stalked through the underground hideout until he was sure that there was a hollow in the floor where he paced. Leah occupied his thoughts since the moment he watched her leave the tree house and disappear into the trees. Everything about her puzzled him; from the way she acted so selfishly in order to help him and the lost boys, the way she reacted so oddly to what happened the night before, but most of all, the impact she had upon his heart.

Frustrated with pacing, he dropped to the floor and crossed his legs, resting his hands on his knees. When she was in his arms he was sure that his heart was beating loud enough for her to hear, and when she wasn't in his arms, he ached for her to be so. The confusion in his heart was betraying what he should be thinking about, revenge for what Hook had done.

Unable to sit still, Peter stood and continued to walk back and forth on the dirt floor. But the underground hideout could no longer contain his restless mind or body. He itched to do something. With a sigh, he made his way outside into the early afternoon sun.

---

"What do you mean?" Leah asked, staring curiously at Tiger Lily sitting cross-legged across from her, fidgeting with her hands. Lily took a deep breath and gazed at the sky that was beyond the smoke hole at the peak of the teepee.

_What should she tell Leah? Should she tell her everything? _

Lily tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it wouldn't disappear.

"Tiger Lily? Is everything alright?" Her concern was making this harder, but she just had to tell her. Gathering her courage, she continued to stare at the blue sky as she spoke.

"Long before Neverland was created, there raged a great war between Celestial Beings that resided in the heavens and the Mortals of Earth. The Celestials had given the Mortals their means of existence, creating them in mirror image of themselves. They gave the Mortals everything they could - night and day, light and darkness, good and evil, life and death. But the Mortals were envious of the Celestial, and wanted to be more that just an imitation or reflection of them. They weren't satisfied with what they were given and were prepared to die for what they craved. Celestial and Mortal warriors fought endlessly, neither side willing to give in. Until one day. While battles were raging, a Celestial Maiden, tired to watching the bloodshed went down to Earth. Some say that she went there because she was fond of Earth's natural beauty, other's say she was a spy. Nobody knows the truth. But while she was lost deep in thought, a Mortal warrior happened upon her and...

_Eidn was a maiden with a curiosity that could outshine any cat. _

_As her feet gently landed on the soft grass of a hill, over looking an ocean, she giggled as her feet squished into the ground and made a soft squelching noise. She stared out across the sea, inhaling the salt air deeply. Earth was so beautiful. She sighed, if only the Mortals could appreciate the beauty that surrounded them. Slowly stepping backwards, she didn't pay attention to how slippery the ground was until her foot stepped onto a patch of mud, causing her to fall and slide down the hill. Try as she might, she couldn't stop. Grasping at grass and twigs, they all gave way under the force of her tug. When she was certain she was going to fall into the ocean, she hit something warm and hard, and yet still soft, that ceased her tumbling._

"_Are you alright?" A deep male voice rumbled next to her ear. Warm arms encircled her, and when she looked up, a gentle face with a pair of deep green eyes, smiled down upon her. _

"_I think so." With the aid of the man, she stood and began to laugh at how filthy she had become. "Oh look at me! Covered in mud." She continued to laugh, forgetting the man who had saved her and now stared. Turning to him, she opened her mouth to thank him for helping her when she noticed how he was dressed. Green tunic with a heavy blue robe about his shoulders, beige trousers tucked into calf length black boots with the hilt of a dagger poking out of he top, and an impressively gilded sword and sheath attached to his belt. _

_A Mortal Warrior._

_By the look on his face, she knew that he could tell who she was. Eidn had to get out of there._

"_Thank you for all your help, but I best be going." Spinning on her heal, she tried to make a hasty retreat, but she took no more than two steps before an iron grip wrapped around her upper arm._

"_Wait." Eidn tried to shake him loose but he was too strong. She always prided herself on being strong and knowing how to handle herself if she should ever face a Mortal warrior – go for the dagger at her ankle and hit him where it hurt. But at that moment she froze._

"_Please let me go," She said, trying to mask the fear in her voice. Looking at him square in the face she kept struggling to get her arm out of his grasp. "I have nothing to give you." Her voice firm._

"_You are a Celestial. How do I know you weren't here to spy on us?" His expression was hard, his green eyes searching her face for some sign of treachery that would confirm his immediate suspicion of her. _

_Although fear gripped her and kept her feet rooted to the ground, Eidn was undeniably stubborn and loose of tongue, which gave her more trouble than good._

"_What if I am? Are you planning to kill me?" _Darn it, Eidn. _She mentally scolded herself. The one time she needed to hold her tongue. But rather than cowering as she should against the anger from the man holding her in a death grip, she stubbornly set her chin and looked him straight in the eye. To her surprise, she was not met with the anger that she was expecting, but rather surprise that quickly shifted to amusement._

"_If you are, then I would call you a liar." Eidn stared in disbelief as one corner of the man's mouth curved up into a lopsided grin. She should have been frightened at the fact that this man was joking at a time where he should be threatening to kill her, or at least capture her and bring her back to his base with him. But to her utter astonishment, she laughed. He seemed caught off guard by her reaction, but quickly recovered and joined in her humor. _

_That was the first time that Eidn met Pan. _

_--_

_Months passed since that fateful meeting on the hilltop. Eidn and Pan continued to meet in secrecy, realizing over time that they had more in common than they first recognized. They were both unwilling participates in this war and had lost loved ones in the process. _

"_My brother died because of this war." Eidn told Pan during a balmy summer evening atop the hill._

"_How? Not by an unaltered Mortal weapon, we realized those were useless some time ago." Pan said, absentmindedly fingering the gilded hilt of his sword that lay almost forgotten on the grass next to him. He had told Eidn a short time after their first meeting that the Mortals were beginning to alter their weapons by coating them in a deadly mixture of poison that could pierce the tough armor and skin that shielded the Celestials. _

"_It was not by any weapon of yours," She sighed and brought her knees to her chest, enclosing them within the circle of her arms. "My brother was a kind hearted soul. When the war first began he wanted no part of it. But my mother, loyal follower and hater of Mortals, forced him into battle. Coren refused to spill any Mortal blood and dropped quickly in rank. Everything changed while he was patrolling a street of a recently defeated Mortal town. A man came out of the shadows and tried to attack my brother. The man was obviously crazed and feared that my brother was looking for more Mortals to kill. Without a second thought, Coren drew his dagger from his belt and purely on survival instinct plunger the dagger deep into the man's chest. It was the first time he had ever killed someone." Eidn paused in her story and looked out across the ocean, the moonlight caused the tears in her eyes to glisten, but she refused to let them fall. Pan admired her strength and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to continue. _

"_I was told that my brother immediately dropped his weapon, the guilt of taking a life overwhelming him. He was distraught when he was found, muttering to himself that the man probably had a family and it was not within his right to take life. Coren was found dead a few days later, his mind had gone to pieces, remorse so intense that it destroyed him." Eidn turned her head away from him, trying to conceal the tears that filled her eyes, threatening to spill over. After a few minutes, she turned back to him; her eyes now dry, and studied him. "Have you ever…"_

"_Killed someone?" He asked solemnly. She nodded. "No. And I don't want to have to. But with the way the war is going, it may end up that I have no choice." Pan dropped his hand from her shoulder and began plucking at the grass below him. With a sigh he fell back onto the ground and stared up at the stars above him. "I just wish there was a place where there wasn't any war. Where we could be carefree and enjoy the world like we were children again." He blew out a puff of air and closed his eyes. "I would give anything to be a child again and never grow up."_

_Eidn watched him lying peacefully on the grass, and imagined him as a young boy, running through the trees chasing after birds, pretending that he could fly with them. Slowly she lay down on the grass next to him and curled into his side. Without even so much as flicker of an eyelid, Pan wrapped one arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him._

"_I would give anything to grant you that wish."_

_---_

"So, does Pan's wish sound like anybody we know?" Tiger Lily asked, pausing in her story. Leah, who had remained still throughout the tale, stared at Lily wide-eyed.

"What happened to them?" Leah asked after a few moments of silence. Lily took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Pan was followed one night by one of his comrades in arms. When he was discovered with Eidn, Eidn thought that he had betrayed her and left him immediately to return to the Heavens. Pan was charged with treason, and sentenced to death. All the while, Eidn stayed away from Earth, she was hurt and refused to find out what punishment would befall upon Pan. But a part of her knew that Pan would never willingly betray her. So against her better judgment she returned to Earth on the day that Pan was to be killed. She was sure that she would find him safe and sound within the confines of his legion's camp, but to her dismay she found him atop the hill where they first met surrounded by other soldiers, kneeling solitary in the circle with his captain before him who held a sword to his heart…

"_On this day Pan, you are to be sentenced to death for treason against all Mortals. Do you have anything to say before you die?" The Captain's voice boomed over the entire landscape, silencing any murmurs that passed through the circle of warriors around him. Pan stared into the Captain's unforgiving eyes and knew that there was nothing he could say that would save him now. He didn't even bother to struggle against the bonds that kept his arms securely behind his back. Defeated, he closed his eyes._

"_No." He could almost hear the Captain smirk. But he saw nothing but Eidn's face burned into the back of his eyelids. Her expression clearly displaying the betrayal she felt when they were discovered together. That meeting was supposed to be special, he had finally gotten up the courage to tell her how he felt, but before the words could pass his lips, Leyton blew the sounding whistle. She was gone in a flash and he feared he would never see her again. _

_Now at the end, he knew his fear would become true._

"_Very well then." The sound of the sword being sharpened on the rock beside his knee reminded Pan where he was. He took a deep breath and held onto the image of Eidn's smiling face before him. _

_The pain was instant, burning his chest where the sword had entered. His eyes shot open with the intensity that the pain over took him with. In front of him stood the Captain, sneer on his face and the bloody sword hanging beside him. Everything began to dissolve around him; the world was getting darker, quieter. _

_His face felt wet, and there was the smell of grass. He must have fallen over. _

"_No! Pan!"_

Who?

"_Pan!"_

…Eidn

_With everything he had left in him, Pan forced his eyes open. There she was, kneeling before him, her arms instantly around him, pulling the bonds away from his hands._

"_Eidn…" It was hard to speak; the copper taste in his mouth overwhelmed him. Slowly he raised his hand to her cheek, brushing away the tears that he found. "Eidn…I'm…I'm sorry…"_

"_There's nothing for you to be sorry about. I'm the one…who should be apologizing." Eidn tried as hard as she could to keep her voice steady, but her throat and chest constricted so painfully that she could barely breathe. The man in her lap was dying, blood blossoming so rapidly on his shirt that she knew he didn't have long left. Inside her head she was screaming, she felt helpless, there was nothing that she could do but to sit there and hold him as he faded away. _

"_Eidn…I…" She shushed him with a finger on his lips, but he grasped her hand and pulled it away. He was given one last chance to tell her and if it had to be with his last breath than so be it. Pan studied her face, beautiful, even marred with tears that streamed down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. He couldn't help but smile. _

"_What's so funny? I…look like a wreck don't I?" Eidn joked, her voice hitching. She watched, as his smile grew wider. Then with one last breath…_

"_I love you." _

_Eidn's heart stopped and then with a gasp she clutched his lifeless form to her and sobbed. _


	19. Separation

**Chapter 17**

_Separation_

---

Outside the teepee at the edge of the Indian encampment, the birds chirped and sea pounded heavily against the rock face below. Inside, a heavy silence lingered in the air.

"So," Leah started, staring a Tiger Lily who was focusing on the sky above her through the smoke hole. Slowly, Lily lowered her gaze to the girl sitting across from her; Leah's fingers were knitting together in a nervousness that she couldn't understand. "After Pan was killed, what happened?" Lily sighed and looked back up at the sky.

"Eidn tried to give all of her Celestial power to Pan to bring him back. But his physical body was already too far-gone to save. In her pain, Eidn created a place that Pan's spirit could live, a world that he himself had dreamed of and wished so desperately for."

"Neverland." The single word escaped her lips in a puff of air. Lily simply nodded, not bothering to advert her attention.

"Neverland and everything that it contained. All the plants, the animals, the landscape, everything. Eidn drained herself completely, and in the end, she fell next to Pan."

"Eidn…also died?" Leah asked, a sinking feeling clutching her insides.

"Or some say." Lily sighed again and looked down at her hands. "My people were the first inhabitants to enter Neverland. We were the outcasts during the war, hidden by our parents from both sides. Finally finding sanctuary here."

"What do you mean?" Leah's mind reeled at all the information that Tiger Lily was giving her. She was trying to grasp and understand everything, but there were still blanks in her story.

"Abominations, we were called. Children of the forbidden love between Celestials and Mortals."

"Abominations? But weren't you exactly what the Mortals wanted?" Lily's eyes snapped to Leah's face, trying to see if she truly understood the extent of what she had just uttered. But all she was met with was innocent curiosity.

"No. We were neither Celestial nor Mortal. But when we heard Eidn's cry, we left the worlds that hated us, and found our own. Even Celestials that hated the war, hated what they were becoming, left the heavens and joined us in Neverland."

"Who…?" Sudden understanding swept over Leah. "The faeries? They are Celestials?" Lily slowly nodded, studying Leah, admiring her for figuring it out so quickly.

"Yes, many generations later at least." Once again Lily sighed. Leah was beginning to see that the telling of this story was wearing on her nerves, and that the entire purpose of telling her the history of Neverland, was getting closer to being revealed. "But one thing happened that no one ever expected." She paused and looked Leah straight in the eye. "The Captain that killed Pan was standing to close when Eidn created Neverland, and was swept up along with many others in his crew." It felt as if Lily had just dumped ice cold water over her, the sinking feeling, the nervousness that she felt, they were all beginning to make since. "Hook barely remembers the days of the war, but the feelings of animosity and the great desire he has to kill Peter, still runs wildly through his system." Leah stared at the mat below, digesting what Lily had told her. The Captain that had killed Pan in the first place, was Hook. And after all this time…

"I still don't understand," Leah began after a few minutes of silence. "How did…Peter and Pan…how do they…how did…?" She was struggling to even form the question, let alone try to even begin to understand the connection.

"Pan's spirit was roaming free, without a body he couldn't begin to enjoy the world that Eidn created for him. It was years later when Pan's spirit happened upon a young boy who's life was slipping away, and Pan promised the boy that he could live a long and happy life, full of joy and youth, if the boy would allow for Pan to live inside him. The young boy agreed. Then a few months later, Tinkerbell came and brought the boy, Peter Pan, to Neverland." Lily took a breath and once again looked up at the sky, noticing that it was beginning to grow darker. Turning her eyes back to Leah, head lowered in deep concentration, Lily began to doubt herself. Did she do the right thing in telling Leah this? Was she even right in her assumption about Leah's part in Hook's plan?

"Thank you, Tiger Lily." Her voice was soft, kind even, not distressed at all as Lily would have guessed she would have been. And it hurt her.

"I know you must have more questions,"

"Hundreds." Lily nodded to herself, that she was expecting and glad, for once, she was right.

"But I am afraid that it is getting dark and you should be going, but there is one more thing that I would like for you to –"

"Lily?" Leah interrupted, picking her head up to look at the young woman sitting anxiously across from her. She had a feeling anymore questions that she had for Lily would be put on hold for another day, but one question nagged her and she needed the answer. "You said that Hook was trying to mold fate, do you mean that he is trying to kill Peter?"

"Leah I don't think that now is – "

"Please. Can't you tell me?" For the first time the intense concern in Leah's eyes over took Lily's better judgment. This was the path of the conversation that Lily did not want to approach, and she could tell that Leah saw that.

"Hook can't," Lily paused and Leah saw the internal argument that ravaged Lily's mind, but despite not wanting to push her, Leah had to know. "Hook can't kill Peter." That was something that she definitely was not expecting.

"What?"

"Eidn's love protects Pan's spirit, in turn protecting the body that it inhabits. No matter what Hook will try to do, he can't kill Peter."

"But then why has-"

"Please, Leah." Lily stood and took a few steps towards Leah, then kneeled down and took her hands. "Please, don't ask me anymore questions. At least, not today." There was a vice grip on Lily's insides, squeezing tighter and tighter the further into the conversation they were going. She was almost certain now what lie in the future, and somehow, by any means necessary she had to prevent it from coming.

"Alright. I'm sorry for pushing. I just," She clasped the girls hands that encircled her own. "I just want to know how I fit in all of this. If there is anything I can do to protect Peter, please let me know." Lily closed her eyes to prevent from seeing the girl's worried expression. It has to be done, she told herself.

_But was it the right thing?_

"There is one thing for now, that you can do."

---

The sky was growing darker by the minute and the moon was slowly beginning to rise over the horizon, and yet, Leah still had not returned. Peter paced at the rivers edge, absentmindedly kicking small pebbles into the water.

_Five more minutes._ He told himself. _Then I am going to look for her._

Worry for Leah had occupied his mind all day to the point where he couldn't sit still. He had tried to train his body with the water exercise he had been practicing, but no matter how long he did it for, his mind was too distracted to concentrate. He had given up hours ago and had settled on pacing by the river, trying not to count the seconds as they ticked by.

A rustle of leaves from behind him caused him to stop his pacing and perk his ears for whatever had caused the noise. Turning slowly towards the direction the noise had come from; he instinctively reached for the dagger in his boot and tensed his muscles for a fight.

"Peter?" Her soft voice came from the darkness of the trees in front of him, hesitant but not afraid. A few moments later she emerged from the trees, pushing a branch out of her way, and stopped a couple of yards away from him on the riverbank. Tension released from his shoulders and he replaced his dagger in its proper place, she was alright, no harm had come to her. Standing in the moonlight, she was the vision he had been waiting to see all day long and without hesitation he began making his way closer to her. But as soon as she was in arms length of him, she stepped back.

A biting pain shot through him, rooting him to the spot. Her eyes were downcast, focusing on the gravel next to his feet rather than on him, her expression was sad, depressed almost. What had happened at the Indian encampment? What had Tiger Lily said to her?

"Leah…what?...Why?" There was so much hurt is his voice that Leah had to bite her cheek, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She didn't even want to look at him for fear of changing her mind, but Tiger Lily was right. There was no other choice in the matter.

"Peter," Her voice sounded hoarse, strained even to her ears. At that moment, Peter knew he didn't want to hear the rest of what she was going to say. "Until we understand what Hook is planning to do," She took a deep breath. "I think that we should, part ways for a while."

There was nothing but silence between them. The leaves of the trees rustled quietly as a soft breeze blew through them, the water of the river flowed gently towards the sea. A minute passed. Two. Three. Peter still said nothing. With as much courage as she could muster, she dared a glance at him. His eyes were focused out across the river, an unreadable expression on his face, but she noticed that by his sides both hands were fisted tightly.

"Why?" His voice, almost inaudible, caused her to shift her eyes to his face, still turned away from her.

"Tiger Lily believes, and I agree with her, that Hook might try to use any bond that we created against you." Leah had to look away from him when she saw his brows knit together, her throat was beginning to tighten as everything began to settle. She was too off balance to really understand what Tiger Lily had asked her to do when she first left the encampment, but now, standing in front of Peter, the distress began to overwhelm her. "For the moment, it…it can keep us both safe. You can go stay with Tiger Lily, Slightly and Nibs. You can be with them."

"And you?" Again his voice was quiet, distant.

"I'll stay here. Tiger Lily said that she would have one of her guards keep watch over me. Just in case." The last sentenced came in a whisper, the anxiety of being alone again, in a world she didn't know or could even begin to understand, in a world where there were foul men who wanted to cause her harm, in a world where she couldn't be with Peter, over took her and the tears begin to slip. Silently she cursed to herself and tried to stop them from falling by focusing on her hands tightly clasped in front of her.

Then, without warning, she was enveloped in the warmth of Peter's arms. He held her tightly against his chest and tucked her head under his chin. He knew that she was trying to hide her tears from him, that she once again, was trying to be the strong one. But one person could only take so much.

He knew that this was going to eventually happen. Hook had been targeting everyone that he cared about, just so that he could hurt Peter. And now, with his feelings for Leah growing stronger every day, it was only a matter of time before Hook tried to use Leah. The idea of leaving her killed him, but the idea of losing her completely, hurt even more. Deep down, he knew that Tiger Lily was right; this is what they had to do. Pressing her even closer to him, he felt her hands fist to the front of his tunic and bury her face in his chest.

"How long?" He asked softly.

"I don't know." Came her muffled response. Framing her face with his hands, he pulled her away from him only so much that he could look her in the eyes. To him, even though tear filled and red rimmed, her eyes were still the most beautiful he had ever seen. Gently he brushed away the tears that marred her face with the pads of his thumbs. Standing there with her in his arms, he studied her, committing every detail, every plane of her face to memory. As much as he tried to push the disturbing thought to the back of his mind, a nagging voice was warning him that he might never see her again.

"When does Tiger Lily want me to leave?" He watched her advert her eyes away from his and study the trees beyond. Realization hit him, and he clutched her to him again. "I see." He said into her hair. _Now._

Leah didn't want him to leave. And with her own heart and his, pounding in her ears, she realized that it was the first time that that was so. With a deep breath and everything she had in her, she placed her hands flat on his chest and pushed him away.

Quicker than he wished, the warmth of her against his chest was being replaced by the cold night air. An emptiness began to fill him as she stepped further away towards the darkness of the trees.

He didn't know what had caused it, or what had even made his feet move, but the next moment he had crossed the space that was growing larger between them, pulled her back into his arms, and gently pressed his lips to hers.

It was tender and soft, and then over as suddenly as it had began. Peter rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said softly. Leah's heart ached, but her lips tingled where they had touched his, causing a warm blush to fill her cheeks. Resting her hands by his ears she drew him down to her and placed a kiss to his forehead, one to the corner of his mouth, and then finally captured his lips with her own. There was more pressure to her kiss, more urgency as if it would be their last. Then abruptly she broke off and stepped away from him.

"One of Tiger Lily's guards is waiting for you. Goodbye Peter." Without a second glance, or waiting to hear his goodbye, she turned into the trees and disappeared into the trunk that lead to the tree house.

"Goodbye Leah." With a heavy heart, he made his way towards the row of trees that she emerged from where he found an Indian guard waiting for him.

---

_There you have it, took 17 chapters, but they finally kissed. And look at that, another update in under ten days, and you thought you would have to wait another six months. _

_-Star and Glade_

_8-21-07_


	20. Time Passes

**Chapter 18**

_Time Passes_

---

A week passed.

Two.

For two weeks Peter occupied himself by spending his time with Slightly and Nibs, as well as occasionally training with one of the Indian warriors, honing his body along with gaining skill with a bow and arrow. Tiger Lily made sure to see him everyday, watching him closely out of the corner of her eye whenever they were together. She tried to hide that she was keeping an eye on him, but Peter was always constantly aware of her gaze.

Peter's days were busy, and he threw himself completely, body and mind, into a routine. But at night, as he lie awake staring at the stars through the smoke hole in the teepee, only one thing occupied his mind. No matter what he did, whenever there was a pause for him to think, a free moment in his day, she would make her way into his thoughts.

"_Leah_." He spoke her name softly into the night, a sliver of hope behind it, that she would be able to hear him. He sighed and turned on his side, curling his arm under his head.

_This is for the best_.

_For the best…_

Peter buried his face into is arms and reluctantly fell asleep.

---

"_Why?!" Peter yelled as he stormed into the teepee._

"_Peter, please calm down." Tiger Lily soothed, remaining in her seated position, calm and collected while she watched Peter's expression shift between a dozen emotions in the blink of an eye. Anger, confusion, betrayal, hurt…pain. _

_Peter stared at the ground, attempting to relieve the tension and anger that seethed through him. It was a few minutes before he was composed enough to speak. _

"_Why…?" It was almost like he was asking himself. Lily was surprised when he began to laugh, but it was a tortured laugh and lasted only a moment. "I know why…I understand…but still I…"_

"_What would you do if something happened to her? And you knew, that it was because of you?" Lily's question caught him off guard._

"_I…"_

"_Or what if something happened to you, and she knew it was because of her? Could you handle that?" Since entering the teepee, Peter met Lily's eyes. Something behind her eyes confused him, and yet, at the same time, fueled a determination in him._

"_If I was with her…I could protect her. Save her."_

"_Could you, Peter?" Lily's eyes became hard as she stared at him from her position on the ground._

"_Yes. I would fight with everything I have to protect her." Why was she asking him these questions? It felt as if she no longer believed in him. Like he was no longer the person she looked up to since they day that he has saved her from Hook._

"_And would it be enough?"_

"_Yes."_

"_No." Lily stared him down, and although her she was physically lower than him, he felt as if she had suddenly began to tower over him. _

"_What?"_

"_You're wrong Peter. You are fooling yourself into believing that, how you are now, you can save anyone." A sharp pain shot through him and he became slightly unsteady on his feet. She hit him in the place where he knew all of his doubts; all of his fears had become rooted. He knew that there was truth behind what she said, but that knowledge wouldn't cease the betrayal he felt._

"_What are you talking about? Of course I –"_

"_No!" Tiger Lily's eyes flashed with an anger that Peter had never seen before. "How can you believe that you can save anyone when you can barely save yourself?" She stood and crossed the small space between them._

"_I – " Peter averted his eyes from her. _

"_Leah's told me Peter! She told me what happened in the time before she brought you here. She told me what you almost did! How you've pushed yourself and how she had to –"_

"_I never wanted her to save me!" Anger curled through him, and yet, he couldn't ignore what she said. _

"_And yet she's always had to! Don't you see? If something were to happen to either one of you, there's a high chance that neither of you would come out unharmed." Lily's face was strained as if she was trying to hold back tears, but her pride wouldn't allow them to fall. She was right and Peter knew it. But this wasn't the end; he wasn't about to give up._

"_What do you want me to say Lily? That I agree with you, so I am going to run away and hide in a corner? You're right. If it wasn't for Leah, I probably wouldn't be alive. But I am not going to run away. If I'm not strong enough now, then I will just have to make myself strong enough." An unyielding resolve coursed through him and for the first time, he felt like he was finally finding an answer to doubts that had been plaguing him. Unexpectedly, Lily's arms wrapped around Peter's middle and she buried her face in his chest. _

"_Good." Came her muffled voice. "I'm glad to hear that."_

---

"What is the news, Avery?"

"They've separated Cap'n. Pan has gone to the Indians and the girl remains in the woods."

"Good…good."

"Cap'n?"

"Tell Faboq and Biv to retrieve her."

"But Cap'n…"

"Don't you know where she is?"

"Aye…but Cap'n…"

"Don't question me Avery. Unless of course, you would like to join your traitorous brother Jave."

"No, Cap'n."

"Good. Tell them."

"Yes Cap'n."

_Good. Very good._

---

_There was something warm flowing through her fingers. She looked down at her hands…stained red._

_What…?_

_Blood._

_In her chest, her heart felt like it had been shredded to pieces…_

_Whose blood?_

_Mine…?_

"_Leah."_

_She turned, the name of the one who called her, lingering on her lips…_

The morning birds gentle woke her, the obtrusive light gleaming through the window pelted her sleep filled eyes causing her to groan and turn away. The dream slowly drifted away to nothingness, leaving little to no fragment of memory.

Gingerly, Leah opened her eyes to yet another day. Stretching her arms over her head, she yawned and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The raw wood of the floor felt cold against her bare feet but she made no hurry to remedy that. She padded across the room to the window and leaned her head out to feel the gently breeze of the morning.

How many days had it been since Peter left?

She was beginning to lose count.

Days were beginning to pass in a blur for her. Without Peter around her days wouldn't fill up; there was nothing to occupy her busy mind from thinking of things that she would rather forget.

With a sigh, Leah pushed herself away from the window and pulled on her dress that was still damp from the previous days washing. Gathering up the bedding in her arms she made her way down the tree trunk to the river.

It was midday by the time she had the bedding washed and laying on the rocks that surrounded the river to dry in the day's sun. With her back against one of the rocks, Leah shielded her eyes and stared up at the sky. The sun had been shining brighter lately.

_Peter must be happy._

Neverland's weather was a reflection of Peter's mood. Wrapping her arms around herself Leah tried to make her thoughts not turn dark. Without her around Peter must be happier; the air was warm and the birds that had been silent as of late, were singing a cheery tune as they flew.

_Tiger Lily was right. This was the best thing to do…_

_---_

"_You and Peter must separate." Lily told Leah, looking her straight in the eyes with a great since of authority._

"_What?" She was dumbstruck, but in the back of her mind she knew that it was probably the best idea. Lily squeezed her hands tighter around Leah's trying to convey something that she was having problems saying._

"_We'll have Peter come here. He will be surrounded by my best guards as well as have the company of the Slightly and Nibs. We will make sure that nothing happens to him." Leah searched the eyes of the girl sitting in front of her, trying to understand exactly was she was telling her. _

"_But –"_

"_I'll make sure that you are safe as well, of course. I will send one of my personal guards to watch over you."_

"_For how long? How long can Peter and I keep running?" Frustration began to overcome her. "We've run away from the pirates, from Hook, and now, because of that, we have to run away from each other. I just don't…" Emotions were over taking her, all she wanted to do was throw something, scream, wail at the world, anything to make these all too familiar feelings go away._

"_I don't know how to answer that. As long as it takes I suppose." Lily stared at the girl and felt her turmoil. As of right now, there was solution in sight, all they could do for now was to continue to live the best they could. Leah dropped her head and unwound her hands from Lily's. From her pocket she took out the blue bracelet that Slightly had given her to give to Peter. _

"_Can you tell Slightly that he can give this to Peter himself? I'm sure he would like that." Carefully Lily took the bracelet from Leah._

"_Yes." Leah nodded and then delicately rose from her seated position and began to walk to the entrance flap of the teepee._

"_I will tell Peter that he will need to come here and stay here for…for as long as it takes." Her back was to Lily as so the young princess could not her face. _

"_Leah…"_

"_I guess this is goodbye then." Leah turned and gave Lily a strained smile. "Until later."_

_---_

The goodbye to Peter had been hard, but the next day without him around had been worse. Time continued to pass even if she didn't want it to, and she had no choice but to look towards the future.

It seemed that Peter no longer needed her, so what was she going to do? Leah buried her face in her knee and stared at the pebbled below her.

Maybe she should find away to go home.

_Home._

Did she even have a home now? Was the place she was living before she came to Neverland even considered her home? Maybe she's been away too long that 'home' would no longer be there for her.

Leah raised her head and stared across the river.

How long had she been here? What day was it? What month was it?

Her hands tightened around her arms. When Peter was around, those questions hadn't even occurred to her. When he was around, it didn't matter what day it was, all that mattered that he was with her. She let out a choking sob as her heart pounded painfully in her chest.

_Home…home…home…_

_Peter._

After all this time without a place that she could call home, she had somehow found it unknowingly. She dropped her head back into her knees.

"Peter…" She whispered.

"Aww…'ow sweet. She misses him Biv." The deep voice behind her caused her heart to stop. She recognized that voice…the voice that had been saying those things…With a start she tried to make her way as fast as she could away from the voice, but the pebbles below her caused her to slide to the ground, scrapping her palms and knees in the process.

"Tryin' to run away now?" The voice said as the man belonging to it kneeled next to her. Gripping her chin between his thumb and forefinger he forced her to look at him. He was a harsh looking man with a wild mop of black hair and a scar that ran from his right temple, across his eye and nose and then curled around his mouth to the tip of his unshaven chin. Frantically Leah searched the surrounding woods for the guard that Tiger Lily had sent to watch over her. "Lookin' for 'ur Indian friend? Not gonna come rescue you love, we took care o' 'im already." His grin as he said that sent shivers down her spine.

Fear was seizing her muscles, but she couldn't let them have her, she had to get away. With one last attempt she jerked her chin out of his hand and tried to scramble to her feet. But the other pirate was too quick, wrapping his thick hand around her ankle and pulling her to ground on her back. Her head hit the ground with a loud crack and all she saw were stars.

"No runnin' away for you." _Get up, get up._ She yelled at herself._ Get up Leah! Get up!_ But her body wouldn't listen. She watched at the scarred pirate pulled a cloth from his pocket and dumped the contents of a small vile on it. "Time for you to go to sleep." She tried to push his hand away but he was too strong for her. The contents of the cloth smelled sweet but whatever it was she felt the effects immediately. The tips of her fingers and toes began to tingle, the sensation spreading rapidly throughout the rest of her body. Then without warning, her entire body went limp and the world went dark.

---

No excuse, no excuse. Apologies, apologies. But here's another chapter! Yay!

Happy Halloween!

-Star and Glade

10/30/07


	21. Love and Violation Part I

**Chapter 19**

_Love and Violation: Part I_

Warning: The end of this chapter receives a Mature rating

---

Overhead, the sun was slowly descending behind the cliffs of Neverland, turning the sky into a brilliant masterpiece of colors. On the furthest outreach of the Indian encampment, Peter was slowly making his way back after a training session with Swift Eagle, and although slightly sore, he was beginning to feel that his strength was steadily increasing. Rubbing a sore spot on his neck, he noticed two small boys running in his direction, arguing about something he couldn't hear. Peter smiled to himself as he watched them approach. There was a sense of normalcy the flowed through him while he was with the boys. But no matter how nostalgic he was becoming in these past two weeks, he would never forget what happened in order for them all to get to this point.

"No! I told you! It's just not possible!" Peter heard Slightly say with annoyance as the two boys came to meet him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Of course it is! Right, Peter? Tell him that it's possible." Nibs turned a diligent and hopeful expression in his directions.

"What are the two of you talking about?"

"Nibs thinks that if you head straight out across the sea that you would eventually hit the other side of Neverland. But I told him that it's not." Slightly crossed his arms and put on an authoritative attitude for extra emphasis to his conclusion.

"Of course it is!"

"Is not."

"Is too!"

"Not."

"Is too! Peter! Tell him that it's possible." Peter couldn't help but chuckle and smile at the boys.

"I guess that it something that we will just have to find out for ourselves now, isn't it?" The humor of the situation seemed to disappear as Peter watched the boys' expressions change.

"That's something you always said we would do…all of us together." With their eyes off to the distance or on the ground, Peter realized that he hit a sore spot; one that he had once pointed out to Leah. He exhaled slowly the breath he hadn't realized that he was holding and placed a hand on top of each of their heads.

"I know, I'm sorry. But the three of us can still find out." He added a gentle smile, but when Slightly looked up at him, the expression on his face caused Peter's smile to falter.

"No promises." Peter's stomach lurched uncomfortably; for the first time, he felt like he was the younger one of the two. He removed his hand from their heads and studied Slightly, who had fixated a stern gaze upon him.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked hesitantly.

"All we ever do is make plans, make promises. But we never get there. If we don't make a promise," Slightly dropped his eyes to his feet, faintly returning to his childlike demeanor. "Then, if it doesn't happen, we won't be disappointed." Next to him, Nibs shuffled his feet uneasily and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, all the while looking at the ground.

Peter dropped to his knees and pulled the boys close into him.

"The last thing I ever want to do is disappoint you." He watched their faces closely, looking for some sign of understanding. Slightly sniffled and the pulled away, a big grin plastered on his face.

"Alright then, it's a deal, no promises until all of this is over." Peter didn't know what he had said or done to cause such a sudden shift in Slightly, but he was glad that it happened. Next to him, Nibs nodded and stuck out his hand. Grasping the boy's small hand, Peter shook it firmly.

"Deal." Peter said, releasing Nibs hand to shake Slightly's.

"No promises?" Slightly asked, still gripping Peter's hand.

"No promises." Then as quick as a flash, Slightly and Nibs turned away from Peter and started running towards the center of the encampment. But before they were completely out of earshot, Nibs yelled over his shoulder.

"I like your bracelet Peter!" Nibs laughter was quickly cut off as Slightly tripped him, Nibs quickly scrambled to his feet and another chase argument between the two began. Peter could help but smile to himself and finger the bracelet that Slightly had given him. Nibs had told him that he had given a similar one to Leah so that the two of them would know that the boys were always with them.

Without realizing it, the thought of Leah had once again found its way back into his mind. The smile faded from his face, the contentment of the moment before gone. With a sigh, he continued on his path to see Tiger Lily.

When he entered the teepee, Tiger Lily was sitting on the ground with her personal guard, Fighting Bear, talking in hushed whispers. Upon the sight of Peter, Lily smiled up at him, quickly ended her conversation and ushered Fighting Bear out, who upon leaving, clapped Peter on the shoulder.

Lily continued to smile at him and motioned for him to take the seat next to her that Fighting Bear has occupied moments ago. Effortlessly he sat, crossing his legs like her and waited.

"Are you alright?" She had asked him that question everyday since he arrived, but what ever his answer was, it never seemed to appease her. Peter sighed.

"I'm getting by, day by day." There was pause, silence hung heavily in the air.

"Look Peter, I know this is hard for you, but you have to understand-"

"I do Lily, I understand that to be separated is the only way to keep her safe. But everyday, I get this feeling that it was the wrong decision, because all I want to do is be next to her, protect her." Lily opened her mouth to say something, but Peter cut her off. "I know that I may not be able to, I know that if something were to happen and we were together it might end terribly. But just being there with her would be enough, just to hold her until the end came." The words were spilling out of his mouth, and he was unsure as to where they had come from. But as the emotions that had built up began to settle, he knew they were the words that he had wanted to say, had been meaning to say for a long time now.

Lily stared at Peter awestruck. That's all she could do. This Peter was different from the one who had arrived at the encampment two weeks ago. He seemed stronger, more sure of himself, and possibly ready to face what was in the not so distant future. She continued to study him, her hands fidgeting with her clothes. The answer to his change lay hidden in his words, and it gripped her heart more fiercely than she thought it would.

"You know how long I have waited to hear that from you?" Confused, Peter could only stare. "Not the words exactly, but the feelings behind them." For the first time, Peter saw weakness in Lily's eyes.

"Lily, I don't…"

"I had always hoped that when you spoke that way, you would be talking about me." Lily took a deep breath and watched as Peter continued to stare at her, confused, although she could tell that he knew there was significance to what she was saying.

"What are you trying to say?"

"You love her." All thought process in Peter's head stopped; he sat stock still and dumbstruck across from Lily. "With Wendy, it was just a simple infatuation, one made by children. But with Leah, Peter, isn't it just something far more?"

All at once, thousands of thoughts came rushing into his head. Memories of moments that they had shared together flashed pictures in head. The more thoughts, the more memories that flooded in, the warmer he felt his face grow. Was it true? Did he really _love_ Leah?

Tiger Lily watched his face, and although she felt like she was beginning to lose the person that she held most dear, she couldn't help but have a smile grow on her face.

"I'm right aren't I?" Peter's mouth flapped, trying to grasp at words.

"I…"

"Princess Tiger Lily!" Peter was cut off by a shout that sounded like it came from the edge of the encampment. The voice continued to call her until it sound as if it was right outside the teepee. Without warning, a frantic looking Indian guard came bursting into the teepee, blood running down the side of his face from deep gash on his forehead. Nothing was said between the two, but the instant change in Lily's expression and demeanor hinted to Peter that something serious had happened. Lily was standing in a blink of an eye, talking rapidly in her native tongue as she pulled the guard outside to continue without being over heard by Peter.

Knots began to fill Peter's stomach; he stood staring at the teepee flap, waiting for Tiger Lily to return. Something serious was wrong, a lump began to form in his throat and instinct was telling him that he should have followed the two. He was about to make a step towards the flap when Tiger Lily reentered, her expression grim. The lump in his throat began to grow larger; anxiety began to fill him as he waited for the words he already knew.

Tiger Lily looked Peter straight in the eye, and unable to conceal the fear in her voice she said, "It's Leah."

---

_Cold._

Wherever she was, she was cold. Leah felt like her entire body was tingling, yet at the same time she felt heavy, as if she were made out of lead. Slowly she opened her eyes. Everything around her was blurred, but she could tell that she wasn't anywhere familiar. The cool air that breezed past her and the heady smell of dirt the filled her nose, told her that she was outside somewhere in the depths of the Neverland forest. As her vision began to focus she could make out the shapes of trees that surrounded her and by their angle, realized that she was lying in her back.

Where was she? What happened?

She struggled to remember, to put the pieces together. But the pounding in her head was so intense that all she wanted to do was to go back to sleep.

"Oi! You awake now are ya?" The voice was rough and came from above her.

She knew that voice…why did she know that voice?

Suddenly everything came rushing back to her. She remembered the pirates, how they tried to capture her, and then the sweet smell of something as it was pressed over her face. Her eyes flying open, she could make out the form of two pirates; one standing over her by her feet and another kneeling beside her head. Without thinking she tried to move to get away from them, but to her horror, her body didn't respond.

What was going on?

Again she tried to move, but nothing happened. Although the pirates had bound her hands together and placed them over her head, it made no difference, she was immobilized. Panic was being to fill her, all she could do was stare, terrified at the pirate by her feet, who had now kneeled down and place his hands on her bare ankles. A scream bubbled in her throat, but found, as another wave of panic swept over her, that a gag had also been placed over her mouth. She was trapped, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"A wonderful thing tha' stuff is, now isn't it? Knock you out right away. Makes it so you can't move for hours." The pirate said, laughter in his words. "But ya' know, even if you can't move, you can still _feel_ everythin'." His words were emphasized with the movement of his hands up her legs, bringing the hem of her dress along with them.

Inside her head Leah screamed at her body to move. Anything. She had to get away or else…. But when she could get no response, tears began to form in her eyes. This was it wasn't it? He was going to…

Slowly as he slid her dress higher, he began to push her legs apart. He paused only to lean over her and press his scarred and dirty face into her neck.

"C'mon love, scream for me."

And as he placed a bruising kiss to the exposed skin on her chest, she heeded his request, and screamed as loud as she could into the gag.

---

7 February 2008


	22. Love and Violation Part II

**Chapter 20**

_Love and Violation: Part II_

---

Peter tore through the forest at a speed he hadn't recently thought himself capable of. He ignored the strain on his body, ignored the scrapes that he was receiving from branches as he speed past them. All that mattered was getting to Leah. He cursed loudly when his strength wavered and he plummeted to the forest floor. Tumbling through the dirt and fallen leaves, he desperately dug his hands into the ground, only able to stop when his back collided with a fallen tree trunk. All the wind knocked out of him, he gasped for air.

_Get up. Get up! You have to keep going!_

He yelled at himself, cursed as he pushed himself off the ground and took to the air once more.

---

"_It's Leah." Tiger Lily said, her eyes wide with fear. Peter was frozen to his spot inside the teepee, he waited, his breath held to hear if what Lily had said, meant something harmless. _

_At that moment, the Indian guard, Stealth as Panther, re-emerged into the teepee, the blood wiped off of his face. His face was solemn, but he looked straight at Peter as to convey something silently to him. _

"_Peter, Stealth as Panther was sent to watch over Leah, to protect her if anything should happen." Lily began to quickly explain, she knew that time was of the essence. "But somehow the pirates found him first." The guard bowed his head as if in apology. "They attacked him while Leah was out by the river. When he awoke, Leah was missing, and that was left was this." Tiger Lily held up a small cloth, crumpled and dirty. Cautiously she brought it to her nose and sniffed. Her expression told Peter enough._

"_Temprin berry." Peter felt like his insides had turn to ice and his heart pounded erratically in his chest. _

"_Yes," Lily started, handing over the cloth for Peter to examine as well. "The dose doesn't smell too concentrated, but it is strong enough that it would have immobilized her immediately. Peter, temprin berry prevents muscle movement for up to a few hours, this dose," She explained as she grabbed the cloth out of his hand and waved it around. "Won't affect her heart. But if these are the same pirates from before…" She trailed off, and looking her right in the eye Peter knew why._

_In an instant, Peter forgot about everything around him, all he knew was that he had to get to Leah as quickly as possible. He bolted for outside and immediately took to the skies, ignoring whatever it was that Lily was trying to shout at him. _

---

Peter made it to the beach quicker than he thought possible, but still not quick enough. He paused only for a moment to stare out across the water where the _Jolly Roger_ waited hauntingly on the dimming horizon. Without a second thought he made a move towards the ship. But as he got closer to the waters edge, something called to him, a barely audible whisper, a feeling that caused him to look to his left back towards the forest.

Sitting there, abandoned high on the beach, was a small boat that the pirates used to get to and from their ship. His heart fluttered as a glimmer of hope found its way into his mind.

There was still time.

Launching himself off the ground, sand spraying in all directions, Peter dove back into the awaiting forest. Only a feeling guided his direction in the endless maze of the overgrown fauna. But even then all he kept encountering were dead ends. The forest was silent aside from the occasional scurry of an unseen animal. At the edge of a stream Peter stopped, his hands fisted atop his head, he circled, unsure of which way to go.

Every second that he wasted without finding her, without even knowing which way to go, became a second closer to losing her. Tears of frustration stung his eyes, blurring the silhouettes of the trees and plants around him. He didn't know what to do, didn't know which direction to go. He felt utterly helpless.

_No…no…no…_

Peter rubbed his eyes fiercely with his fist and cursed himself. He had to keep it together, he couldn't…wouldn't give up. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm himself down. In the silence of the forest he listened, ignoring the loud thudding of his heart in his ears, he tried to pinpoint a noise that was out of place. Time ticked passed, the forest stayed silent. And then…

_There!_

Peter's eyes snapped open. Ahead of him to the right came a noise, almost lost in the dense foliage, a deep, menacing laugh that could only belong to a pirate. He took off through the trees, only stopping when he made it to the rim of the small clearing.

He had found her.

Straight ahead across the clearing, she was there with the two pirates. But nothing was right. Tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes, quiet cries came from her gagged mouth. Above her the pirate laughed as his dirty hands continued to roam her. She cried again, but this time the pirate froze and caught her face violently with his hand.

"Callin' for 'im are you?" The pirate spit out at her.

Calling for him? Peter froze. Were they talking about…?

"Peter Pan ain't comin' to rescue you. And if he do it'll be too late." A sneer spread across the large man's face, but when her quiet cry came again, carrying Peter's name, the sneer fell with a hateful expression. Quick as a flash his hand came down on her, forcing her head into the cold earth, and a small stream of blood formed at the corner of her mouth.

At that moment, a heat like no other filled Peter's face, a rage like he never felt before consumed him and all he saw was red.

---

_Yes, short chapter. Come back Monday when we post Part III._

_-Star and Glade_

_22-2-08_


	23. Love and Violation Part III

**Chapter 21**

_Love and Violation: Part III_

---

The pirate above her was right, although she couldn't move; Leah could feel everything that he was doing to her. She was screaming as loud as she could through the gag, but her voice grew tired quickly and all she was able to produce was a raspy coughing noise. Hope of being saved was fleeing quickly, and as the vile man laughed and touched her, all she could think of was one thing.

"_Peter…_"

When she called his name a second time, the pirate became furious, striking her so that her cheek was pressed against the dirt. The taste of copper filled her mouth and with her voice finally gone, she closed her eyes and waited.

Suddenly, the pirate atop of her yelped in pain as something hard struck him on the side of the head. Opening her eyes, Leah saw the man, his hand pressed to his head, blood beginning to seep through his figures, turn and look angrily at the edge of the clearing. Following his gaze Leah saw the cause of what had made him so mad. There, emerging from the shadows of the trees was Peter.

Leah was never so happy, so relieved to see him. But there was something odd about him. His whole body was tensed, poised for an oncoming battle; his hands kept clenching and unclenching by his sides. It was the expression on his face that made him almost unrecognizable. There was darkness in his eyes that she had never seen before, and wave after wave of hate seemed to roll of him. Fear sent a chill down her spine; this was not the Peter she knew.

"So, Prince Charmin' arrives." The pirate teased. Although there was caution in the man's eyes he didn't move from his position straddling Leah.

"Get away from her." Peter said, his voice dripping with malice. In response the pirate only laughed, turning his head to look at the other pirate, to share what he had found so funny.

The moment the man let his guard down and turned his eyes away from Peter, Peter struck. The force at which he barreled into the pirate sounded like two boulders colliding into one another and sent the two of them tumbling across the clearing. In the instant that Peter was able to get his footing, he pounced like a wild animal atop the disoriented man and began to pummel him with unrelenting punches. But the pirate wasn't about to give in, with agility uncommon to his size, he swept Peter's legs out from under him, and before he hit the ground, the pirate grabbed Peter by the shirtfront and slammed him against a nearby tree.

Leah watch helplessly as Peter took blow after blow from the larger man. Next to her the smaller pirate watched with great interest and amusement in his expression, but as to not lose his part in this battle, he turned his eyes upon Leah. Terror ran through her as she watched him pull a dagger from his hip, then with his free hand, grabbed her roughly off the ground and stood, pressing the dagger against her neck.

Peter felt himself beginning to lose; strength was seeping from him far quicker than he had hoped. But he couldn't give up; he had to save Leah at all costs. Dodging the pirate's punch to his head, Peter pushed his back as hard as he could against the tree and brought both his knees to his chest. Then with all the strength he could muster, he roughly kicked the pirate in the stomach. Winded, the pirate fell backwards. Without a moments hesitation Peter shoved himself off the tree, pulled the dagger from his boot, and went for the kill.

The blade inches from its target, Peter froze as he kneeled over the pirate. There was no fear in the man's eyes; rather he had the most peculiar smile upon his face.

"What are you gonna to do? Kill me? I won't be killed by a mere boy." The pirate began to laugh harder, and Peter responded by pressing the dagger harder against the man's neck, drawing blood. But the pirate didn't relent. "You ain't gonna kill me boy. You're too weak. To weak to save your friends, too weak to save you little fairy, and now, you're even too weak to save her." The pirate motioned with his head over to Leah, where she hung limp in the arms of the other pirate, dagger pressed into her neck.

Seeing this, Peter faltered, but didn't remove the dagger. All he could do was stare at Leah. Her eyes were glassy with tears and filled with fear. He wanted nothing more than to save her, but he was stuck. If he killed the pirate below him, he would never be fast enough to get to the other pirate before he killed Leah. The same frustration that consumed him earlier began to fill him again. What was he supposed to do?

Below him, the pirate continued to laugh, tormenting Peter with the knowledge that he knew Peter had no way out.

Leah watched as Peter struggled with a decision that he shouldn't have to make. All he wanted to do was protect her, and all she could do was look on powerlessly as he got himself killed. Anger began to bubble within her, along with the frustration of not being able to do anything. Slowly the anger began to replace the fear, and it was in that moment that something happened that she had been waiting hours for; her hand twitched. That was it. The pirates thought that she was a feeble little rag doll, but if she was able to move…

Peter was distracted by the emotions flickering across Leah's face, and the pirate took his chance. Grabbing the wrist that held the dagger, the pirate twisted and brought Peter's arm forcibly behind his back. The sudden movement caused Peter to drop the dagger, which the pirate quickly snagged. Wrapping his arm around Peter, preventing any movement, the pirate took Peter's own dagger and pressed it against Peter's neck.

"Too slow boy. Now, all I'm gonna let you do it watch." The pirate nodded at his companion who instantly dropped Leah to the ground and kneeled over her. He shoved the dagger into the ground by Leah's ear, so abruptly that it caused her to jump. The man paused and stared at her, his eyes widening.

Through her gag Leah smirked, and with her tied wrist and fisted hands, she hit the pirate as hard as she could across the head. Phased, the pirate stumbled away from her. Flipping to her side, Leah turned to Peter.

Her expression told him exactly what he needed to know, this was his chance. Leah's determination caused something within him to snap, and with the agility he had forgotten he had, Peter ducked out from the pirates grasp, freeing his arm in the process. The pirate didn't have time to react before Peter, using the pirate's own hand, drove the dagger deep into the man's chest.

Staring aghast at Peter, the pirate tried to say something, but all he was able to do was sputter up blood. With a horrid choking noise, the man's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell with a loud thud to the ground. Pulling the dagger from the pirate's chest, Peter turned on to his companion who had managed to pull himself up to a standing position. Launching himself at the man, Peter blind sighted him with the hilt of the dagger, causing him to go sprawling to the ground. Shocked by the blood trickling down his face, the man turned to see his companion on the ground, lying motionless. Fear leaping into his eyes, the pirate clumsily made a run for the trees, pausing to glance back at Peter, standing poised, dagger ready for another attack. Terrified, he turned away and hastened his escape.

Peter watched the pirate's retreating back until it disappeared completely into the forest. It was then that he noticed how hard he was shaking. Was it out of rage? Fear? He wasn't sure; all he could do was stare at his hands as they shook violently around the dagger that he still held. With a sound of disgust he threw the dagger as far away from his as he could and fell to his knees. Covering his face with his hands, he tried to compose himself.

Next to him, Leah shifted uncomfortably into a seated position. It was hard to move, she felt stiff, weak, as if she had been asleep for days. She watched as Peter tortured himself with thoughts that she wished to know. His head hung limp in his hands and his shoulders trembled. All she wanted to do was reach out and touch him, to let him know that they were together, but she couldn't.

Gradually Peter began to collect himself, in this situation he had to keep it together, he had to be the strong one. He picked his head up from out of his hands and turned to look at Leah. The unreadable expression on her face took him aback. Her eyes held an unknown sadness along with the expected fear. Slowly he reached up both of his hands to untie her gag, but when she flinched when his fingertips touched her, he hesitated, leaving his hands hanging in midair. His eyebrows knotted together as his eyes searched her face, and with a deep breath he gently raised his hands and untied the gag, tossing it aside.

Leah's eyes followed every move that Peter made. How after he untied the gag, he immediately dropped his gaze from her face and focused on untying her wrists. How his fingers fumbled on the simple knot. And how his hands continued to tremble around the rope before he tossed them away with the gag. She wanted him to say something, but she knew that he had no idea what to say. The way she reacted when he first touched her must have scared him. Leah stared down at her wrists and unconsciously rubbed them where they were raw, she tried not to focus on the fact that tears were once again beginning to sting her eyes. She almost jumped when a warm hand stopped her hand from continuing to rub her wrists, but when his other hand cupped her cheek, rather than being afraid, she turned her face into the warmth. His thumb gently wiped across her cheek the same way that she had always done for him.

Opening her eyes cautiously, afraid that the face that she would see wouldn't be the one that she wanted to see, her gaze fell upon Peter's worried face. A warmth spread throughout her, her heart began to pound louder in her chest, a feeling like she had never experienced before took over her and she wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time. But all she could manage to do was whisper Peter's name.

Pain gripped Peter's heart from the small noise she made, and with a single fluid motion he pulled her to his chest and tucked her head under his chin. He apologized into her hair, apologized that he hadn't gotten there faster, that all he wanted to do was to protect her, to be near her, and that he had almost lost her…. It became harder and harder for him to speak as his throat became tighter with all the emotions he was trying to suppress, but he continued to whisper apologies.

In his arms, Leah finally felt safe, and slowly she was able to wrap her arms around his middle and fist her hands around his tunic. Peter squeezed her tighter to him not ever wanting to let go. He rocked her gently, waiting for the shaking that had taken over her entire body to subside. They stayed together like that as minutes passed by unnoticed, the forest around them growing increasingly silent.

It was only when a gunshot rang off in the distance, that Peter and Leah moved, the sudden noise causing them to jump back into reality. Peter was immediately protective of Leah and alert to the world that surrounded them.

"We should get out of here." Peter said softly and Leah managed a small nod. Taking the encouragement, Peter scooped her up from the ground and continuing to press her into his chest, took off into the darkened forest. Leah could hear Peter's heart where her ear lay against his chest and without realizing at the moment, something began to blossom in her own heart.

---



Star and Glade

25/02/2008


End file.
